The Virginia Senate decided Tuesday to continue to allow Virginia localities such as Charlottesville, Alexandria and Arlington to establish a local living wage.
The Senate voted 23-17 to defeat a bill that would prevent any locality, or "public body," from requiring the payment of a wage that exceeds the federal minimum wage.
The federal minimum wage currently is $5.15 an hour. The minimum wage in Charlottesville is $8.65 an hour.
Sen. Frank W. Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, sponsored the bill. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Some proponents of the bill cited the fact that Virginia is a Dillon Rule state as a reason to deny localities the authority to set a living wage.
The Dillon Rule states that localities do not have the right to set their own minimum wages unless the state grants them the right to do so.
Some opponents of the bill, however, said localities should be able to decide what is best for their residents when it comes to establishing wages.
Eunice McMillan, legislative assistant to Sen. Louise L. Lucas, D-Portsmouth, said Lucas opposed the bill for several reasons.
"Labor is one of the issues she always supports," McMillan said. "She wants workers to be able to receive as much as they can in wages."
Employees are more likely to remain on the job if they are paid a living wage, McMillan said. She added that Lucas based her opinion on several studies done in the past which show that living wages improve communities and are better for the economy as a whole.
McMillan said Lucas thought the issue was more of a local one than a state one.
"[Localities] are the ones that are best able to determine how much they can pay," she said.
Jan Cornell, president of the Staff Union at the University, said she was angered by the bill.
"We're mad as hell," she said. "I'm glad it was defeated because it would have been a big blow to the living wage movement."
Most University employees earn a living wage, Cornell said. She emphasized that the bill should affect all the contract workers who don't receive a living wage, such as food service and janitorial employees at the University Medical Center.
"Why isn't U.Va. paying a living wage to contracted workers?" Cornell said.
Echoing Lucas' sentiment, she added that a locality should be able to decide what is best for its residents.
"How can it be legislated in Richmond when it's pertaining to a locality?" she said.
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