Student Insider's Guide

• Teaching suggestions
• Chapters and pages related
• Teacher guide related questions
• Related organizations (national, state, local)
• Montgomery College related major/programs of study

• Reading group discussion questions
• MC Library Resources
• Other related books
• Related web sites
• Film and video clips
• Out of class experiences
• Other reports

Living Wage Teaching Suggestions:

For starters

• Two U-Tube videos pertaining to Living Wage might be a good place for starters.  The first film clip offers one person's view of how a living wage should be calculated and whom should decide. Insightful questions are thrown out to the audience in an entertaining "off the cuff" way. The person has a "down-home" approach.   The second video is a facilities worker at Stanford University who delivers a heart-felt plea on why Stanford students should support a living wage for employees at Stanford. Taken together, these are two different perspectives to give your class a common experience related to living wage. There is some mild language in the videos that some may find offensive. Please view all videos ahead of time as you consider their appropriateness for your class. Montgomery College is not affiliated with the views represented on the videos or reports/views from outside organizations. An attempt has made to represent a range of viewpoints to enable individuals to draw their own conclusions.
   

• Stanford University Living Wage initiative. First person facilities worker at Stanford University gives heart felt testimony on why students at Stanford should support a living wage.    www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTa1DRVdv0c
   

• See pages 127, 140,  213 - 214 in Nickel and Dimed related to Living Wage.

• Skim this entire web page and get a sense of the depth and breath of the information available. Take what you need and leave the rest...

• Go to the following "living wage" related web sites for living wage formulas, papers, political actions, etc.:

  • www.universallivingwage.org/banner.htm

  • www.livingwagecampaign.org

  • www.epinet.org

Living Wage in Maryland. In 2007 Maryland was the first state to pass a "Living Wage Bill" for government contracts. While the Living Wage bill receive support from particular unions and politicians, the Maryland state-wide Chamber of Commerce -fearing the bill was anti-business- was not in favor of it. Furthermore, the bill specifies different hourly rates for Maryland's Eastern Shore and Western Maryland ($ 8.50) compared to hourly wages in the Baltimore -Washington area ($11.30). See the quotes from Maryland politicians (below in the Film, Songs, Quotes section)  taken from an April 10, 2007 article by Baltimore Sun reporter Laura Smitherman.

Questions

• What is a Living Wage ?

• How is it calculated ? How is it determined ?

• Are living wage formulas and/or cost of living formulas realistic ?  E.g., $8.50 and $ 11.30

• What is the average rent in Montgomery County ? Monthly mortgage payment ? Utilities ?  Food ?

• What does it cost you to live... monthly expenses ?  See the First Year Experience Insider's Guide for a monthly expense calculation sheet.

Living wage formulas

What should be considered when determining cost of living and living wage ?   Essential vs. Optional Expenses. If you were creating a living wage formula what would you consider essential ? What is optional ? 1) Shelter: house, apartment, room, a shelter ?  2) Education:  post secondary (after high school. 3) Groceries: e.g., chicken, fish, steak, rice, bread, milk, fruit, vegetables, beer, wine, soda.   4) Entertainment: movie tickets, sporting events, vacation expenses, etc. 5) Transportation: car, auto insurance, gasoline, metro, bus.    6) Health care: ER visits, well baby care, preventative health care, physical exams/check-ups, medications, home health care.   7) Communication: cell phone, land lines, internet home connection, internet access (outside of home), hand held devices.   8) Clothes (how much per month/year should be set aside for clothes).  9) Taxes: local, state, federal, sales tax, property taxes.  10) Childcare: pre-school, after school, summer school, day care. 11) Other expenses: legal fees, funeral costs, credit card debt, etc.    

Reaction Statements

• Should the government get involved in living wage laws or should it be left to employers and employees to work it through ?

• Support or refute: Living wage laws hurt businesses and what hurts business hurts employees

• Support or refute: Earning a living wage is the right of all Americans ? All citizens of the world ?

• Support or refute: There should be a Constitutional amendment supporting a living wage for all Americans.

• Support or refute: The government should stay out of what the private sector (non governmental establishments) decides to pay its employees.

• Support or refute: Business owners are taking the ones taking the economic risk and know what they can or cannot afford to pay their employees. 

• Page 127: (see foot note) Living Wage St. Paul-based Jobs Now Coalition
• Page 140: Affordable Housing
• Page 213-214: Living wage discussed/defined

• #17: Describe the problem that Ehrenreich has with how the poverty level is calculated in this country.  Is she correct on this score, in your view?  Explain.  Also, how does one's understanding of the poverty level-Enrenreich's or anyone else's-relate to food costs, and to the author's assertion that our "wages are too low and rents too high."

• United Domestic Workers of America - www.udwa.org
• Living Wage Resource Center - www.livingwagecampaign.org
• Domestic Workers United - www.domesticworkersunited.org
• Economic Policy Institute - www.epi.org

• Office of Volunteerism and Service Learning - http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/departments/servlearntp/
• Office of Cooperative Education and Internship Programs - http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/cooped/

• #10: Many campuses and advocacy groups are currently involved in struggles for a "living wage."  How do you think a living wage should be calculated?

http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/library/libtp/instructions/commonreading/Commonreading.htm

Several resources available regarding living wage on the Library Common Reading web e.g., reports, interviews and films and videos.

• http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/library/libtp/instructions/commonreading/Commonreading.htm
• Living Wage Campaign: An Activist Guide to Building the Movement for Economic Justice.  Denise Johnson, Acorn 739 8th Street. SE, Washington, DC 20003.  Also available in PDF at www.laborstudeis.wayne.edu

• Universal Living Wage (ULW) includes a way to calculate ULW and facts and myths regarding ULW. www.universallivingwage.org/banner.htm
• Living Wage Resource Center.  This site has state, city, and county living wage news and living wage community actions. www.livingwagecampaign.org

Films

The Pursuit of Happiness  (TP/SS will have this film for Fall 2007).  An engaging film that explores the American Dream and attempts to get at the meaning of what Thomas Jefferson meant my the phase  "... pursuit of happiness." We follow Will Smith and his real life son as they bounce from apartment, shelter, public restroom, and hotel trying to make ends meet. Follow the steps to install a media player to open the film's web site. http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thepursuitofhappyness 

The Grapes of Wrath  (TP/SS library has this) This landmark film starring Henry Fonda is based on the Steinbeck book- of the same name- and follows the 1930s journey of migrant farmers from Oklahoma's "dust bowl" to California. The stark black and white images are haunting as they add to the films documentary quality. The film brings to life the photographs of Dorothea Lang and other Depression era photographers (see The Arts section of this web site for more resources on photographers from this time period).  The phase "grapes of wrath" was taken from the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032551/

U-Tube/Web Information Videos  (There is a range of language on some of the videos. Please view them before you decide on their appropriateness for your class)

What is a living wage and who should decide ? Interesting questions build before this gentleman gives you his view.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dq-jPhWlO8

Stanford University Living Wage initiative. First person facilities worker at Stanford University gives heart felt testimony on why students at Stanford should support a living wage - www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTa1DRVdv0c

Quotes

"It  [the Living Wage Bill] doesn't make them rich. We are just lifting them a little bit more... out of poverty"  Sen. Middleton, Charles County MD,  Baltimore Sun 4-10-07

"This is putting them up too high, too fast."  Sen. Stotzfus, Eastern Shore, MD,   Baltimore Sun  4-10-07

"[The Living Wage Bill] undermines competitive bidding..." R. Wineholt, Lobbyist for the MD Chamber of Commerce, Baltimore Sun , 4-10-07

Emma Lazarus quote on the base of the Statue of Liberty:

• Jefferson Cafe on  Living Wage:  September 5th,  2:40-4:30  ST 256 register by contacting Dr. Francine Jamin:    francine.jamin@montgomerycollege.edu
• Contact the Office of Volunteerism and Service Learning, TP/SS Campus  ST 216, (240) 567-1527 Lucy Vitaliti,                                              lucy.vitaliti@montgomerycollege.edu       

Here are a sampling of suggested placements related to living wage from Montgomery College's Office of Volunteerism and Service Learning:

1) Progressive Maryland/Progressive Maryland Educational Foundation 8720 Georgia Ave.,  Suite  500 Silver Spring, MD  20901  Phone: (301) 495-7004   www.progressivemaryland.org

2) Montgomery County Department of Economic Development 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 800, Rockville,  MD 20850   (240) 777-2000  Email:  ded.infor@montgomerycountymd.gov
 

• Living Wage: Frequently Asked Questions. (2002) Economic Policy Institute. (PDF- www.epinet.org)