Today, Berkeleyside published two op-ed columns in its Opinionator section that address the city of Berkeley’s ongoing discussion about raising the minimum wage.
Berkeley resident Marian Lever argues that it’s important not to forget the impact of a minimum wage increase on Berkeley’s many small businesses, which, she says, are such an important part of the fabric of the city. “The communities that populated Cody’s and Black Oak Books were real communities in the truest sense of the word,” she says, and we don’t want to lose more bookstores and other independent merchants. She asks that we be as respectful of the small business owners as we are of the employees.
Separately, Amy Shrago and Annie Flores, co-presidents of the National Women’s Political Caucus, Alameda North Chapter, urge the Berkeley City Council to pass a local minimum wage with no exclusions, because, they say, a higher minimum wage is critically important to women’s financial health. “As an organization that supports growing both the political and economic power of women, we know that a higher minimum wage is critically important to women’s economic security,” they write.
Read both op-eds in Berkeleyside’s Opinionator section, and join the conversation by leaving your comments there.
Read about Berkeley’s minimum wage increase on Berkeleyside. The issue is set to be addressed by Council again Tuesday night, June 10, at its regular meeting.
Berkeleyside welcomes submissions of op-ed articles. We ask that we are given first refusal to publish. Topics should be Berkeley-related, local authors are preferred, and we don’t publish anonymous pieces. Please email submissions to us. Berkeleyside will publish op-ed pieces at its discretion.
