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AJC.com > Legislature > Georgia Beat > Archives > 2005 > February > 22 > Entry
Bill blocks Atlanta’s ‘living wage’ ordinance
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The House easily passed legislation aimed at keeping the city of Atlanta from giving preferences to contractors who pay their employees a “living wage” of at least $10.50 per hour.
The bill passed the House 105-57 and now heads to the Senate.
Lawmakers in 2004 made mandatory living wage laws illegal, which is one reason Atlanta recently opted for voluntary compliance.
The city’s measure applies only to companies offering services, such as cleaning and security. The city’s living wage is more than double the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. Most contractors at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which the city owns, are exempt.
Nonetheless, Rep. Earl Ehrhart (R-Powder Springs), the House bill’s sponsor, said, “It’s about as voluntary as a brick bat.”
Rep. Douglas Dean (D-Atlanta), said Ehrhart’s bill attacks the concept of home rule. Cities, he said, should be able to make ordinances without being dictated to by the state.
“This sends the wrong message to the people of Atlanta and the people of this state,” Dean said.
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