Arlington County Board Member J. Walter Tejada spoke out in favor of the Arlington County's new 'living wage' policy, according to the Washington Post. Tejada said that by contracting with firms whose employees are better paid, the county gets better service for its money, because workers will be more likely to have one job rather than two, be better rested and more likely to stay at the same job for a longer time. Tejada declared that "When employees are compensated well, there's a tendency to have continuity on the job. That leads to better performance. That's the bottom line for us."
According to the Washington Post, "Arlington officials said last week that they are moving quickly to implement the county's new "living wage" policy that will increase hourly wages of more than 200 of the county's lowest-paid laborers, but the possibility of a legal challenge to the new policy remains. Under the new policy approved by the County Board late last month, companies awarded county contracts must pay employees a "living wage" -- the hourly amount a worker must earn to pay basic living costs without resorting to public assistance. In Arlington, that figure is $10.98 an hour, more than twice the federal minimum wage."
According to the Washington Post, "Arlington officials said last week that they are moving quickly to implement the county's new "living wage" policy that will increase hourly wages of more than 200 of the county's lowest-paid laborers, but the possibility of a legal challenge to the new policy remains. Under the new policy approved by the County Board late last month, companies awarded county contracts must pay employees a "living wage" -- the hourly amount a worker must earn to pay basic living costs without resorting to public assistance. In Arlington, that figure is $10.98 an hour, more than twice the federal minimum wage."
