April 28, 2006 at 23:00:00

Nickled and Dimed Play Debuts in Atlanta

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By Matthew Cardinale (about the author) Page 2 of 3 page(s)

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�You wouldn't believe, a group that starts with United [United Way] lobbied behind the scenes,� for the state legislature in Georgia to prevent a living wage from being allowed to be required in Atlanta, Beaty said.

Organizers in Atlanta, led by Sandra Robertson, 58, thought they had successfully won a living wage in Atlanta, when it was approved by the City Council. Then, the Georgia State Legislature preempted the wage from taking effect, however.

�It started out in 2001, with Project South and others to look at this issue of wages. We did about two and a half years of really good research work and talking to public officials to convince our public officials that it's a solid policy,� Robertson said.

�We got the support of all Councilmembers but two. The city adopted a policy of giving its employees living wages, at least $10.50 an hour plus health care,� Robertson said, adding that a $10.50 living wage for all employers had passed Atlanta City Council. $10.50 isn't a living wage, but it's much closer than $5.15.

Delta Airlines and the Chamber of Commerce supported State Senator Earl Earhardt in introducing legislation to preempt Atlanta from being able to pass a living wage, which passed, Robertson said.

�We have a real battle on our hands,� Robertson said.

Some Atlanta City Council Members who supported a living wage bill in Atlanta, also supported the state's preemption of that citywide bill, Beaty said. �They were having it both ways.�

Terence Courtney of the Atlanta Transit Riders Union (ATRU), and Jobs with Justice (JWJ), spoke about the need for better mass transit. Courtney and the Riders Union was featured in a previous article in Atlanta Progressive News.

�We believe the way to get living wages is to organize and empower the people affected by this,� Courtney said.

Bobbie Paul, Executive Director of Women's Action for New Directions (WAND), spoke of the national federal budget.

More than half of the US annual budget is defense spending on the Pentagon, she said.

People really get the magnitude of it when she breaks down the numbers to them, Paul told Atlanta Progressive News.

�If a dollar was a second, a million seconds was last week. A billion seconds was 1976. And a trillion seconds was pre-Christ,� Paul said in the panel.

�What do you spend your money on?� Paul asked the audience. Food, housing, fuel, they said. �Do you spend it on AK-47's?�

Paul also spoke of the need for the various organizations in the progressive movement to unite. �We need to weave our tapestries together,� Paul said.

About the author:

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http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com

Matthew Cardinale is Editor of Atlanta Progressive News. He has written previously for the Sun-Sentinel Newspaper, Shelterforce Magazine, The Advocate Magazine, The San Francisco Bay View, and the Berkeley Daily Planet Newspaper. He has also (more...)

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