January 15, 2010
Dear Raise the Wage Supporters,
In the Fall of 2008 a group of Greensboro citizens launched the Raise the Wage Campaign to raise the minimum wage in Greensboro to $9.82/hour. This letter is to update you on the status of the campaign and to say “Thank You!” for your contributions to the effort so far. First a short status update, then the thank you.
Short Update
Though we turned in over 12,000 signatures within the allotted time, the petition has been declared “Insufficient” by the City Clerk on two grounds:
- A large number of signatures were declared invalid by the City Clerk and/or the Board of Elections, putting us 502 signatures short of the 8,438 we needed.
- The City Attorney has issued a legal opinion claiming that the petition asks the City to enact a law that is not within the City’s power to enact.
The Raise the Wage committee is figuring out ways to respond to both these challenges. First, we are examining the disqualified signatures to see if some are actually valid—if only 12% of the signatures that were disqualified are actually valid, then we are back in business on the first issue. The disqualification rate is extraordinarily high, especially for the supplementary signatures we added in December, so we have some hope we will succeed in making the count.
Second, we’re thinking through the issues raised by the City Attorney in his legal opinion and looking for legal representation to challenge his argument in court. Our standing in court pretty much hinges on being able to get enough signatures qualified, however, so that is the first order of business.
We ain’t done yet, in other words. We’ll keep you posted on where things stand over the next few months.
Big Gratitude!
We’ve recently been thinking a lot about the hundreds of people who have so far contributed their time and talents to the Raise the Wage campaign. Over 100 people—ranging in age from 18 to 80—gathered signatures in parking lots and public parks; at football games, concerts, and shows; in community meetings and church halls. Dozens more volunteered in other important ways: designing our webpage and keeping it updated; photocopying, counting, and inventorying petitions; talking up the campaign in their neighborhoods, churches and workplaces to keep the spark going. Here’s a few statistics to give you an idea of the scope of the project so far:
- Number of people on the Petitioners Committee (the folks whose names are on the front page of every petition packet): 5
- Number of people who turned in notarized petitions: 112
- Number of additional volunteers who supported the campaign in other ways: 49
- Number of notarized petitions filed with the City Clerk: 209
- Number of hours logged by volunteers: At least 5,000
All of us have been motivated to make our city a more fair and hopeful place to live. We’ve all been seeking a modicum of economic justice. And it’s clear from the reactions petition carriers have received from all over the City: lots of people are suffering in this economy, and thousands see the logic of a bottom-up economic stimulus.
As we said, we ain’t done yet! We’ve got signatures to examine, legal arguments to research and refine, and if things go well, a voter education program to plan. In short, we still need strong support from the community. If you’ve got time to spare, we have a way to put your talents to work. Drop us an email at: info (at) greensborominimum (dot) com if you want to help out in this next phase.
Thanks so very much for all you have done,
The Raise the Wage Committee*
*By the way— Here’s what it takes to be a member of the Raise the Wage Committee: show up at our meetings. If you email us at info (at) greensborominimum (dot) com we’ll tell you where and when the next meeting takes place!
WHAT IS THE CAMPAIGN?:
The Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage in the City of Greensboro is many things:
- a citizens initiative allowed by Greensboro's city charter
- a peoples movement for social change
- an experiment in grassroots democracy
- and an effort for a greater measure of economic justice
At it's core, though, it is a group of folks who have the common belief that communities should have the power to agree upon and enact basic standards for those things that effect the life and well-being of its members. read more
VIDEOS:
Watch this 30 minute documentary in which community members are asked questions about the impacts of raising the minimum wage.
Red Arrows pointing up fill the streets of downtown Greensboro for the July 4th Parade!
JOIN THE MOVEMENT:
WE NEED YOU! One of the most exciting aspects of the Minimum Wage Campaign is that it's a movement with lots of room for the initiative of many as we push toward a common goal. If you'd like to be a part, and you see something that needs to be done, do it! Or, here are some suggestions of ways to be involved.
