Living Wage Rule for L.A.'s Finest
The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved on Nov. 9 an anti-sweatshop law that will affect $3 million in annual garment contracts for police uniforms and other apparel and footwear worn by government employees.
The new law requires contractors to sign a code of conduct affirming that they and their subcontractors will comply with all applicable workplace laws and pay a domestic living wage of at least $9.04 an hour, excluding health benefits. The legislation will apply to new contracts that are worth more than $25,000 and last longer than three months. Existing contracts will not be affected. Companies that violate the law will be fined $1,000 or 20 percent of the value of the goods made under the contract.
Josh Kamensky, spokesman for Councilman Eric Garcetti, said the law will go into effect 30 days after Mayor James K. Hahn signs it.
The city joins the Los Angeles Unified School District, New York and about 30 other jurisdictions that have adopted similar policies. A key point in this law is that the city will have a $50,000 budget to hire an independent monitor who will review suppliers’ factories located in the United States and overseas.
The city’s administrative officer reported that applying the living wage will increase contract costs by about $20,000 to $70,000 annually. —Khanh T.L. Tran
