Living Wage - Introduction


	Living Wage Introduction Implementation Tax Credits (WOTC) In The News	A Tax Credit Opportunity for Agricultural Entities and A Living Wage Initiative for Farm Labor
		Introduction A "living wage" may be defined as the level of income sufficient to allow workers to support their families without dependence upon outside (public) assistance. A more narrow definition suggests that it is the income level necessary to pull a family of four above the poverty threshold, adjusted for local economic variables, with a range of $7.60 to $12.00 per hour. Local ordinances already exist in 54 cities and counties nationwide. Recent local ordinances have included health benefits, paid vacation days, public disclosure and other forms of worker protection. Agricultural entities in this nation have come to depend on low wage labor to produce and harvest a wide range of fruit and vegetables. The sources of this labor are often migrant and seasonal workers frequently coming from other nations.
		Potential Benefits The adoption of a living wage for below poverty farmworkers would have far reaching effects and positive impacts for the workers, the agricultural industry, the farming communities, and the nation. Some of these positive benefits would include the following: Ensure a worker's ability to pay his own costs Reduce the demand for public assistance for farmworkers families Have a minimal impact on the retail cost of farm products Provide a means for growers to sustain year round, loyal employees and reduce the dependency on transient labor Help reduce the influx of illegal and undocumented workers Improve the educational program for all farmworker children by allowing them to remain in school for the full year Begin to provide the means for new commercial development and cutely needed services in urban/rural farming communities such as Immokalee, Florida Provide bottom line benefits to participating "advocates" by embracing a cause related approach similar to, for example, "organic," "green," etc.