Local Communities Take Action: Living Wage Ordinances for Durham

By Jason R. Jenkins, “A Living Wage for North Carolina: An Introduction,” p. 17,   published by the NC Council of Churches,  NC Fair Wages Coalition, and Let Justice Roll, available online at 
www.nccouncilofchurches.org/resources/downloads/Living%20Wage%20for%20NC%20Report-Final.pdf.
 
In January 1998, the City of Durham passed a living wage ordinance requiring all service contractors doing business with the city to pay workers “enough money to support a family of four above the poverty level.”  In 2001, the City Council folded city employees into the living wage mandate and set the rate at $9.15 per hour. 
 
In 2003, the Durham County Commissioners adopted a living wage for all county employees and, with a few exceptions, service contractors. It set the rate at not less than 7.5% above the federal poverty level (FPL) for a family of four. By tying the rate to the FPL, the wage rises automatically with inflation. The County also mandated health
insurance for those covered by the ordinance. Later, the Durham County Board of Education established the same measures for its employees.
 
In 2005, Duke University increased its pay to all university employees to at least $10 per hour. In May 2007, Duke began to require companies with contracts to sell food on campus to pay their workers by the same standards.
 
Durham C.A.N. (Congregations, Associations, and Neighborhoods) has involved people of faith in these campaigns for a living wage in Durham. It is a broad-based, interfaith, and ecumenical coalition that uses the model of leadership development and community organizing of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). For more information, see www.durhamcan.org.