How Living Wage Laws Affect Low-Wage Workers and Low-Income Families


 

Publication Date: March 2002

Publisher: Public Policy Institute of California

Author(s): David Neumark

Research Area: Labor

Type: Report

Abstract:

Since 1994, nearly 40 cities in the United States have passed living wage ordinances. These ordinances mandate that businesses under contract with the city, and in some cases businesses receiving assistance from the city, pay employees a wage sufficient to lift their families out of poverty. This report examines the actual experiences of cities implementing such laws, focusing in particular on the following questions: