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Living Wage in Urbana Monday Night!	Current rating: 0
by Mike Lehman, Coordinator, CCLWA (No verified email address)	01 Apr 2002 Modified: 09:50:45 PM
Monday, April 1 will see the Urbana City Council voting to support a Living Wage policy. The meeting starts at 7:30pm at the city building and, if you'd like to speak, you can signup on a yellow form and hand it to the City Clerk.
Monday, April 1 will see the Urbana City Council voting to support a Living Wage policy. The meeting starts at 7:30pm at the city building and, if you'd like to speak, you can signup on a yellow form and hand it to the City Clerk. You may also indicate on the form that you simply wish to have your support for an issue noted publicly, if you'd just wish to do that and not speak yourself. We are urging everyone that attends to fill out the form to show their support, whether or not they wish to speak. It should be noted that support is strong on the Urbana City Council for the LW - they don't need to be persuaded. Keeping comments brief (you do have 5 minutes, if you really need it) will move the meeting along to what should be another victory for the LW. Recent reporting on U-C IMC about the Living Wage campaign and movement: http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=4766 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=4717 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=4483 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=4190 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=4156 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=4150 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=4108 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=3984 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=1951 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=1591 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=815 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=814 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=719 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=717 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=397 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=299 http://www.ucimc.org/front.php3?article_id=24
See also: http://www.prairienet.org/livingwage/

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Another Living Wage Victory!
by Mike Lehman (No verified email address)	Current rating: 0 01 Apr 2002
The Urbana City Council voted unanimously to adopt a Living Wage policy at tonight's meeting. Although Democratic support seemed certain, based on last week's committee of the whole vote, Republican Joe Whelan of Ward 6, absent at last week's meeting due to illness, also voted for the Living Wage policy this evening. Mr. Whelan had been quoted in the News-Gazette as initially being opposed to the Living Wage. However, he gave further thoughful consideration to the measure, which resulted in his courageous public change of position at tonight's meeting. Mr. Whelan specifically cited his faith and the support of Catholic Church leadership for the Living Wage as a reason for his change of heart, but he also noted that the members of the Living Wage Association had made a solid case for setting the Living Wage rate at the federal poverty level for a family of four. We would like to specifically express our thanks to the Urbana Council members, along with Mayor Tod Satterthwaite, who publicly expressed his support for the Living Wage. The mayor noted that Urbana has paid it's fulltime employees at least a Living Wage since he's been mayor, but also noted the importance of making this an official policy of the City of Urbana. Urbana thus becomes the fourth unit of government in Champaign County to adopt a Living Wage policy. Thanks should also go to our supportive, grassroots membership of more than 40 community, labor, and religious organizations for the gratifying progress the Living Wage has made in the last year.