Polk County Board of Supervisors Take Step Toward Raising the Wage

Over 30 members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), faith, labor, and other allies, attended the Polk County Board of supervisor meeting this morning to show support for a minimum wage ordinance of $15/hr in Polk County. This morning the Supervisors announced the formation of a work group, chaired by Supervisor Hockensmith, to look into raising the minimum wage in Polk County. This comes after Johnson County passed an ordinance to raise the wage in September of 2015 and Linn County assembled a work group to look into raising the wage in that county. Over a dozen community members spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting in favor of the workgroup and encouraging the supervisors to raise the wage in Polk County.According to the Iowa Policy Project’s 2016 The Cost of Living in Iowa report, a single individual in Iowa needs to make $13.16/hr just to make ends meet with a no frills budget. A single parent with one child needs to make at least $21.52/hr.“We are encouraged by your actions with this task force, but I know that people in Polk County needed this raise yesterday. We need to move quickly and pass an ordinance of $15/hr,” said Patrick Stall, low wage worker, student, and Iowa CCI member at Tuesday’s meeting. CCI members said that while the task force is a good first step, Polk County needs to be a real leader on the issue and raise the minimum wage to $15/hr. “We can do better for our citizens, family, and loved ones,” said Lou Ann Burkle, as she told the supervisors about her own child and her struggle to make ends meet on a low-wage job.“As people of faith we believe in the importance of charity, but this is a matter of justice, freedom, and dignity of people to support themselves,” said Debbie Griffin, pastor of Downtown Disciples: Unapologetically Progressive.Small business owners also attended the meeting and voiced support for an ordinance of $15/hr. John Bartlett, owner of iWork & Play in West Des Moines said “I have a new business that is growing and I pay my staff members a living wage. I know that an increase in wages betters the economy, increases the job pool, and strengthens labor, which is better for our entire community.” Iowa CCI is committed to raising the wage in Polk County to a living wage of $15/hr and improving workplace conditions for all Iowans across the state.