In the shadow of minimum wage

Sara Tenney has spent most of her life working for minimum wage.

"I just had to work two or three jobs to make it work," she said. "I worked a couple of regular jobs, then cleaned houses on the side."

For the sake of her two children, who are 17 and 9, she wants to end the cycle of dead-end jobs. She recently graduated from Western Nevada Community College with an associate's degree in general studies and is pursuing a degree in geographic information systems.

In the meantime, she has to support her family.

As part of the college's work-study program, Tenney works 20 hours a week at the reception desk in return for help with paying her tuition.

She receives an hourly wage of $7. If she were making the federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour, she could not make ends meet.

"Absolutely no way," she said. "I barely scrape by now."

Tenney lives with her children in a modest apartment and drives what she calls an old-but-paid-for car. She exchanges day care with a friend.

"There are times in the middle of the month and in between paychecks that I worry," she said. "There's not a lot of extras. Not a lot of fun stuff.

"Sometimes if a power bill is less than I expected, we'll rent a movie."

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Those calling for an increase in the minimum wage and those opposing the initiative are wielding the same argument: The current wage is obsolete.

"It's a basement wage," said Tom Fulkerson, of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. "It's rock bottom."

Larry Osborne, president of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, agrees.

That, he said, is why employers don't pay it.

"We have 1,300 members, and we don't know of anybody who pays minimum wage and that's including fast-food workers," Osborne said. "Today, very few people are making minimum wage."

PLAN is joining with the Nevada AFL-CIO, the Citizenship Project and other organizations to form the Coalition to Give Nevada a Raise.

The coalition collected signatures to create an initiative to raise Nevada's minimum wage from the federal level of $5.15 an hour to $6.15 per hour. If voters approve it this year, it would have to pass again in 2006 in order to amend the state's constitution.

There are no official numbers tracking the salaries of Nevada workers. However, according to a survey conducted by Job Connect's research and analysis division, an estimated 100,000 workers earn $6.95 or less. The same survey concludes that about 60,000 people earn less than the proposed $6.15 minimum wage.

Although the Chamber of Commerce has not yet decided on an official stand on the initiative, Osborne said members are wary of a wage increase.

"An increase in the minimum wage does give us concern," he said. "It's not just the minimum wage, it drives all wages up. It could discourage employers from hiring entry-level jobs."

Under the proposed initiative, employers would not have to raise minimum wage for children under 18 or for jobs in which employees receive benefits or are tipped.

"It's a great incentive for businesses to pay benefits," Fulkerson said.

He added it is often people who care for children or the elderly who are receiving the lowest wages.

"I think it's important to value that work and pay them a decent wage," he said.

Twelve states have higher minimum wages than the federal standard, and San Francisco's wage is higher than California's.

Often people who care for children or the elderly who are receiving the lowest wages.

"I think it's important to value that work and pay them a decent wage," he said.

Twelve states have higher minimum wages than the federal standard and San Francisco's wage is higher than California's.

Contact Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or at 881-1272.