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A Living Wage
A living wage would increase the income of low wage earners so that they may be able to support their family without additional government assistance because the current federal minimum wage is not adequate for a full time worker with a family. Living wages are generally determined as the hourly wage necessary for a full time worker to support a family of four at the poverty level. The specific wage varies from state to state because of the differences in costs of living. Ordinances have been passed requiring that government workers and workers of government contractors be given adequate living wages so that they will not require other government assistance. Living wage ordinances are important to ensuring that the government is not contributing and encouraging the creation of low-wage jobs that place workers under the poverty line. Currently, there are no federal laws about a living wage and the federal minimum wage remains at $5.15 per hour.