Economics

OP-ED: Oakland Measure FF Will Provide a Living Wage for Workers

Published

9 years ago

October 29, 2014

By Jorge Rosales, Laney College Student

I remember being paid $5.75 an hour at my first job as a host at Hobee’s, a brunch restaurant in Fremont where I grew up. The dismal pay rate felt like a significant amount of money at the time, but then again, it was the year 2000, I was living with my parents, and I was only 14 working a summer job.

Eventually, I got tired of dealing with the hectic weekend brunch crowd and went back to asking my parents to buy the things I needed in exchange for decent grades.

I am now 28, working 20 hours a week at $14 an hour, working on nursing school prerequisites, and using 50 percent of my income to pay rent in the increasingly popular Temescal neighborhood of Oakland.

If a $5.75 hourly wage felt like so much 14 years ago, why does a $14 hourly wage leave me feeling like I’m barely surviving today?

Measure FF, a ballot initiative in Oakland, is looking to raise the minimum wage from $9 an hour to $12.25 an hour. That $3.25 hourly increase provides someone working 40 hours a week with roughly an extra $520 each month – that alone might cover somebody’s health insurance premium or daycare costs.

Even though I will not see a bigger paycheck if Measure FF passes, I think of my current coworkers, many of whom are currently making less than $12.25 an hour. Measure FF might allow them to let go of one of their three jobs, or upgrade to their own room in a shared home, instead of living three people to a living room in West Oakland. Their sense of self-worth might rise as their hard work is finally acknowledged by a living wage.

Personally, I will recover some of the faith I’ve lost in our government’s ability to provide opportunities for its citizens.

Before being hired at my current place of employment, I worked full-time in healthcare and office administration for over seven years. I was constantly passed up for advancement opportunities due to my lacking a college degree, but I found it difficult to let go of my “secure” employment to finish my education.

Then in 2013, I was laid off from a non-profit I loved dearly and I decided I had to do things differently. I enrolled in school and chose to pursue a nursing degree, partly because of my experience in the healthcare industry, and also because I saw how my friends and family with degrees outside of the STEM sciences were fairing in our current economy.

My parents, like those of many who grew up in the Bay Area, are on the brink of being pushed out of their home due to the unbridled rent increases. Even if they had the means to help me, I am no longer the 14-year old boy who can run back to them when tired of working.

These are the reasons why I am prioritizing my education over immediate financial security. If my government cannot provide me with adequate health insurance or an affordable education, I hope they will at least allow the will of the people to vote in a policy that will hold our employers to a living wage.

[caption id=”attachment_32058″ align=”alignleft” width=”253″] Jorge Rosales[/caption]

Jorge Rosales is a student at Laney College.

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Business

Black Business Summit Focuses on Equity, Access and Data

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship. Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Published

3 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA), answers questions from concerned entrepreneurs frustrated with a lack of follow-up from the state. January 24, 2024 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, Lost Angeles, Calif. Photo by Solomon O. Smith

By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship.

Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA) was a guest at the event. He told attendees about his department’s efforts to increase access for Black business owners.

“One thing I’m taking away from this for sure is we’re going to have to do a better job of connecting through your chambers of all these opportunities of billions of dollars that are coming down the pike. I’m honestly disappointed that people don’t know, so we’ll do better,” said Omishakin.

Lueathel Seawood, the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Joaquin County, expressed frustration with obtaining federal contracts for small businesses, and completing the process. She observed that once a small business was certified as DBE, a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, there was little help getting to the next step.

Omishakin admitted there is more work to be done to help them complete the process and include them in upcoming projects. However, the high-speed rail system expansion by the California High-Speed Rail Authority has set a goal of 30% participation from small businesses — only 10 percent is set aside for DBE.

The importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in economics was reinforced during the “State of the California Economy” talk led by author and economist Julianne Malveaux, and Anthony Asadullah Samad, Executive Director of the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI) at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Assaults on DEI disproportionately affect women of color and Black women, according to Malveaux. When asked what role the loss of DEI might serve in economics, she suggested a more sinister purpose.

“The genesis of all this is anti-blackness. So, your question about how this fits into the economy is economic exclusion, that essentially has been promoted as public policy,” said Malveaux.

The most anticipated speaker at the event was Janice Bryant Howroyd known affectionately to her peers as “JBH.” She is one of the first Black women to run and own a multi-billion-dollar company. Her company ActOne Group, is one of the largest, and most recognized, hiring, staffing and human resources firms in the world. She is the author of “Acting Up” and has a profile on Forbes.

Chairman of the board of directors of the California African American Chamber of Commerce, Timothy Alan Simon, a lawyer and the first Black Appointments Secretary in the Office of the Governor of California, moderated. They discussed the state of Black entrepreneurship in the country and Howroyd gave advice to other business owners.

“We look to inspire and educate,” said Howroyd. “Inspiration is great but when I’ve got people’s attention, I want to teach them something.”