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Indybay Feature

Santa Cruz Businesses That Don't Care About Workers' Lives

by A. Dorman
Since early 2006, some Santa Cruz businesses have been aggressively fighting a minimum wage increase proposal. Then, in September an independent study concluded that the propsed minimum wage increase of $9.25 would not significantly harm the local economy, including local businesses. Still, these Santa Cruz businesses persist fighting this proposal that would provide a meager wage increase for people who live in one of the highest rent districts in the entire U.S. Here is an incomplete list of these businesses. Please consider boycotting them.
While walking down Pacific Avenue today, I noticed some striking signs in the windows of several businesses. The signs read, in bright blue and orange, "No on Measure G. It Hurts Family Businesses."

This is misleading in a couple of ways. First, it insinuates that the passage of Measure G would harm "family businesses", yet the most recent, nonpartisan study contradicts that claim. Second, this claim also insinuates that "family businesses" would be more likely to be harmed than other types of businesses. This is also misleading since "family businesses" would be exempt from giving family members the mandated wage increases since they are presumably part-owners.

Personally, I find this very dishonest and unethical. I appreciate "family" and local businesses, but I do not support a business that purports to be a "family-run business," and yet has everyone doing their work for them --- at less than a living wage. In my opinion, if you want to wear the "family business" label, then Ma and Pa better show their face several times a week. Otherwise, they are really just "los jefes gordos."

One other thing I noticed about this campaign and these signs was that I only noticed them on Pacific Avenue and Front Street, arguably the two busiest commerical streets in our community. It seems to me that if these businesses have some of the highest traffic in the entire county (and guaranteed tourist sales), they should be the first ones to endorse this proposal. I am saddened that they feel they have to cheat workers in order to run their businesses.

These are the businesses that I saw displaying the "No on G" signs. I encourage you to boycott these businesses, especially if Measure G is defeated. We must show solidarity with those who are literally fighting for their very survival.

***BOYCOTT THESE ANTI-WORKER BUSINESSES***

-Kianti's

-Hoffman's Bakery Cafe

-Fresh Prep Kitchen (on Front Street)

-Bad Ass Coffee Company

-Pacific Cookie Company

-Rosie McCann's

-The Hat Company

-Rogue

-Zoccoli's Deli

-Bookshop Santa Cruz


This is most likely an incomplete list. Please list other businesses I missed.


*I am not a part of the WAJE campaign, nor am I a member of a union. I am writing this as a concerned member of the public about what I see as a clear issue of justice in our community.


References:

http://www.waje.org

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/September/18/local/stories/01local.htm
Add Your Comments

Comments (Hide Comments)
norahochman.jpg
What Nora Hochman pointed out, in the Measure G campaign, is that the first study produced documented that raising the minimum wage in Santa Cruz would increase the payroll costs of businesses to a whopping 0.08%!!!

This increase of LESS THAN ONE PERCENT would go directly into the pockets of the poorest workers in Santa Cruz.
These people are far more likely to spend their increased wages right here in Santa Cruz than their owners would.

Add Goodwill Industries to the list of those publically opposing the raise in the minimum wage.
A non-profit organization that hawks its products on the basis that it helps people by hiring them as workers,
has publically gone on the record as opposing the wage increase.

Apparently there is only so much "Goodwill" at Goodwill industries. And helping workers climb out of poverty is NOT one of their goals!!


photo by HUFF
by low wage worker
Bad Ass Coffee isn't even open for business yet, and are on record opposing Measure G? I went by Bad Ass Coffee this morning on my way to Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Co. and saw the 'No on G' sign in their window, along with another, which read 'Opening late October.' That's not a good way to introduce themselves to our community. I don't care how 'bad ass' their coffee is, I'm never setting foot in the place, and encourage others not to, either.
by SR
Other anti-Measure G businesses to boycott include:

Cafe Brazil
Fedex Kinkos (they have a huge sign in front of their property, and I've heard they have financially supported the No on G Campaign.
Avanti's
Goodwill

we should definitely continue to compile a list of businesses to boycott
by Holler
Rode by Costa Brava Taqueria in Seabright and they had a HUGE sign for 'NO on G'. They also have other locations -- 1222 Pacific Ave and 420 River Street, according to the telephone book.

Boycott, boycott, boycott.

by Holler again
The last time I was at the Bargain Barn I talked to a worker there. I asked if he was going to vote for Measure G and he said, "yes, but I'll lose my job." He said he believed it was the right thing to do, so he was going to vote on it, but that his bosses had told him that they would close the Bargain Barn if it passed because they couldn't affort to keep it open!! Can anyone say, "coersion?"

It is incredibly UNLIKELY that they will close that facility. The price they would have to pay for waste disposal for the stuff they sell there (on it's last stop until it gets to the county dump) would far outweigh the costs of paying a few workers to staff the warehouse everyday. And as Norah Hochman says, all their inventory comes from DONATIONS -- all the sales they make are gravy. Shame on the Santa Cruz County Goodwill. It appears that they have forgotten their mission to help people who are down and out.
by Super Slut
"Can anyone say, "coersion?"

That's called reality.
by concerned citizen
Saw signs in the windows of two more:

Walnut Ave. Cafe
99 Bottles of Beer
by Jess
I agree with all of you that the minimum wage is definitely not high enough to actually be able to live in a place as ridiculously expensive as Santa Cruz. However, many people who work these jobs are voting against measure G because otherwise they'll be out of a job altogether and its hard enough to find one as it is here. Also, I disagree with the people who are saying to boycott these local businesses that say "No on G." Whether they support the measure or not, its better to buy your books at Bookshop Santa Cruz than Borders and Santa Cruz Roasting Co. than Starbucks. My last housemate worked at fresh prep kitchens and it really is your struggling mom and pop business. I wish I had some answers but I don't necessarily think all these businesses are just trying to be greedy. Imagine how much it must cost to rent a shop Pacific or Front.
by Observer
This public list of businesses opposed to the minimum wage is just what's needed. Let's vote with our wallets and take our money elsewhere!

The simple question to ask of business owners is, "How much money do you yourself want to earn?" I bet most feel they're worth more than $9.25 an hour.

By the way, absent specific evidence of better wages, one can hardly conclude that non-profits and "mom and pop" shops make better employers. "Warm fuzzies" aren't enough.

The threat of job losses is exaggerated. The low-wage jobs in Santa Cruz are service jobs. Services can't be moved away from the consumers who use them.
by Basic Intelligence
The stupidity of this argument actually hurts my head. I am not opposed to raising the wages inherently, but if you think that there is no correlation to what businesses can stay open, you are naive beyond repair. The reality is that a lot of shops barely get by on streets like pacific because it is expensive as hell to rent there. Eventually all you will have left in Santa Cruz is rich silicon valley folks and college students, and those silicon valley folks don’t give a damn what you think.
by santa cruz native
if santa cruz businesses and residents want their high prices they need to pay their workers a fair wage. it's time santa cruz "liberals" decided what they are. are they liberals and progressives, or do they just pay lip service to thosee ideals when it's convenient?

I would personally rather shop at borders than bookshop santa cruz. at least I can count on borders to be consistant. if these supposedly "progressive" and ""liberal" businesses and people aren't really as liberal and progressive as they tell us they are why is it better to patronize their businesses than chain stores? what does the community actually gain? from my perspective, nothing at all.

come on santa cruz, get with the program. if you're progressive, start acting like it.
by the economist
That last comment is so right on! For those of you who spell coercion with an 's' and consistent with an 'a', the escalator clause in Measure G ties yearly increases in the minimum wage to the CPI, which is typically 3-4% annually. Which means that in about 3 years, the minimum wage will be something like $10.40 and will keep galloping ahead of the rest of the surrounding cities and state. Of course, the state and feds won't be so foolish as to index the minimum wage, so as it gallops away in Santa Cruz, so will your jobs. Good luck with that one!
by Bemused Spectator
It appears that the entire population of Santa Cruz is about to release the hand brake and push the car down the hill. It's odd to see an entire community with such an obvious lack of foresight. Reading the text of Measure G, it's apparent that nothing will stop yearly increases in perpetuity. Wow. I guess there's always hindsight. Good luck to all of you. I'm sorry for what is about to happen to the lower income folks. On the other hand, perhaps the town will finally clear out and my family can move there.
by Concerned Citizen
I watched a community forum on television the other day on this measure. The business owners did a very poor job making their case. They sounded selfish and closed minded. Which is too bad, because a constantly increasing minimum wage mandated by referendum is bad for everyone involved. There was a participant on the "Yes on G" side, Peter Shanks, who said that he did not want to even see minimum wage jobs in Santa Cruz. This sounds incredibly racist and elitist. Presumably those people should all be in Watsonville.Fie on you for cloaking your bigotry in a veneer of "progressive" ideals. Let me point out to you some other places where all the light manufacturing and commodity jobs have left- Carmel, Monterey, Marin County, Newport Beach. Perhaps when we can no longer afford to live here, we can move to these places! And that will be the result of this misguided attempt to lift up the poorer people by punishing the richer ones. Shame on you, Santa Cruz for once again doing the wrong thing because it feels right.
by UnionMaid
The state of Florida indexed its minimum wage increase to the CPI. Arizona is about to pass a higher minimum wage measure, also tied to the CPI.

Facts are fun.
by The FactFinder
It's true. Florida recently passed a constitutional amendment to tie the minimum wage to the CPI. It's a first, which is probably why Mr. 50 Employees had never heard of such a thing. Anyhow, a few things to consider:

It's a brand new concept. No track record of success.

It provides a significant tip credit for resataurants. They still can pay as little as $3.65/hour taking the tip credit. This has been the biggest issue for the restaurant people here.

Florida is a far bigger place than the City of Santa Cruz. So, unlike here, if somebody is looking for cheaper labor in Florida, they can't just drive past the Rio Theatre until they're in Live Oak. The whole state has to live with it. Makes it a different animal, it seems to me.
by Dystopic
Being a former employee of one of these aforementioned businesses that supposedly don't care about their workers, all I can state is that in my former employer's case this assertion is so erroneous it makes me nauseous. God bless our rights to free speech so that you can continue to villify businesses whose circumstances you (obvious business majors) know next to nothing about.
BASIC INTELLIGENCE WRITES: "I am not opposed to raising the wages inherently, but if you think that there is no correlation to what businesses can stay open, you are naive beyond repair."

BECKY: It MAY be true that a few extremely marginal businesses may close. A few marginal businesses may close even IF Measure G doesn't pass. Their survivability/profitability should NOT be hinged on exploiting the labor of their workers.

Crying over HIGH RENTS for businesses cannot logically be passed on to the very same workers who must pay HIGH RENTS to live here. Legislation that regulates RENT GOUGING is what is needed---not building an economy on an impoverishd underclass.

Finally, despite Basic Intelligence's dire predictions, were there any such negative consequences in the cities where the minimum wage was raised? The answer is no. No businesses went out of business. No one was forced to lay off workers. No "family-businesses" were disadvantaged. Teenagers were still able to find jobs.

The Cities own Sept 2006 study showed that the vast majority of businesses surveyed would either experience a positive effect, no effect, or a "manageable negative effect."
by 1950's Buff
Becky Johnson,
It is so cute that you are advocating rent control in 2006. It's very quaint to see folks like you are still around! Will you meet me at the Woolworths soda fountain sometime so we can compare plans for the underground nuclear shelters in our backyards?
Is there any other city among those you cited that raised the minimum wage by 37% at one fell swoop with CPI increases in perpetuity and with no exceptions for such businesses as restaurants? I don't think Santa Fe did that. Please enlighten me when we meet at the five-and-dime!
by Fact-Checker
Becky,
You probably wouldn't enjoy socializing with 1950's Buff, so I'll save you the trouble. Santa Fe increased the minimum wage to $8.50 in 2004 with two additional increases to $9.50 in 2006 and $10.50 in 2008. Here's the kicker, though - the whole thing only applies to businesses with 25 or more employees and restaurant tips count towards the wage. This effectively exempts the majority of small downtown-type businesses. This of course, would be why there has been no negative impact thus far. Obviously this relatively well-thought out measure was directed at large agricultural and light manufacturing employers, as well it should be. The workers in those industries break their backs all day for minimum wage long while folks like Becky and Robert Norse who can't be bothered to work, traipse asround town making a nuisance of themselves in the name of protest. They deserve a good wage!
Measure G is a poorly thought-out measure. It has been written to deliberately punish small business owners. Bad form, Santa Cruz! See you in hell, Becky!
by via noonmeasureg.org
Individuals

Janet Bolender
Steve Bontadelli
Kenneth Botelho
Patrice Boyle
Greg Carter
Lindsay Connor
Merry Crowen
JoAnne Dlott
Charles Eadie
Richard Fontana
Carol Fuller
Len Hanlock
Richard Hansen
June Hoffman
Maggie Ivy
Julia Jackson
Erik Johnson
Catherine Kriege
Thomas Lee
Marq Lipton
John Livingston
Albert Markasky
Albert McComman
Sharon McCourt
Craig Moorhead
Bob Munsey
Harvey Nickelson
Larry Pearson
Shelly Pearson
Kelly Porter
Peter Prindle
Burt & Cynthia Rees
Ron Rollins
Jack Samuelson
Michael Scanlon
Cathy Schlumbrecht
Howard Sherer
Christian Thompson
Lauren Tobin
Matt Twisselman
Laurie & Juan Valledor

Todd Corgill
Mark & Carol Guluarte
David Heald
Carol Canaris
Ken Whiting
Bill Anderson
Bob Ciapponi
David Shuman
Harry Fox

John Craver
Kenneth Kiff
Roy Trowbridge
Craig Zoccoli
Patty Zoccoli
Russell Zoccoli
John Lisher

Chip
Curt Simmons
Maria Sentry
Yeyen Gunawan
Carolyn Staico-Smith
Ellen & Eric Gil
Jennifer Greene
Paul & Cindy Geise
Jeanne & Edward Whiting

Partial list

list from:
http://noonmeasureg.org/endorsements.htm
by via noonmeasureg.org
Local Businesses

Beachview Inn
Caffe Bene
Coast Paper & Supply
Connor Plumbing
Crow’s Nest
Gigi’s Bakery & Café
Goodwill Industries
Hoffman’s Bakery Café
Hutton Sherer
Kelly’s French Bakery
Ledyard Company
Marianne’s Ice Cream
Pacific Cookie Company
Pfyffer Associates
Prindle Management Company
Ristorante Italiano
Rollins Fire Sprinklers
Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce
Santa Cruz County CVC
Santa Cruz Seaside Company
Soif Wine Bar & Retail
Supercuts
Surf City Grill
Sylvan Music
Twisselman Enterprises
Vapor Cleaners
Vida & Costa Brava
Zachary’s Restaurant

Bad Ass Coffee
Westside Animal Hospital
Bogner Sheet Metal
Pacific Dry Cleaners
Full Janitorial Service
Brasskey Locksmith
Acapulco Restaurant
Santa Cruz County Bank
Whitings Foods
Marini's at the Beach
Pacific Espresso

Zoccoli's Deli
Carpos Westside Restaurant
Walnut Avenue Cafe
Palace Art & Office Supply
Santa Cruz Fire Equipment Company
Artisan's GalleryRistorante Avanti
Plaza Lane Optometry
The Hat Company of Santa Cruz
Cafe La Vie
Tonic Salon & Spa
Sock Shop Santa Cruz
Old School Shoes
Whiting's Games

Partial list

list from:
http://noonmeasureg.org/endorsements.htm
by via noonmeasureg.org
The following were listed as the major backers of the No on Measure G campaign:

Please Join the Following in Voting No on Measure G

• Democratic Women's Club of Santa Cruz County
• Goodwill Industries of Santa Cruz County
• Neal Coonerty, Santa Cruz County Supervisor-Elect
• Locally Owned Business Alliance of Santa Cruz
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce

information from:
http://noonmeasureg.org/endorsements.htm

n January, the Locally Owned Business Alliance (LOBA) commissioned a study of Measure G to determine the actual impacts this proposal will have on our community.

Click here to view the study results and findings:

http://www.civiceconomics.com/SantaCruz/

Below is a link to a guest column published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The column was authored by Larry Pearson from Pacific Cookie Company, Cindy Geise from Ristorante Avanti, and Neal Coonerty from Bookshop Santa Cruz. The column examines the impacts of Measure G:

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/January/29/edit/stories/03edit.htm

Check out other articles by local newspapers on Measure G:

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/May/24/local/stories/01local.htm

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/January/29/edit/stories/01edit.htm

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/May/28/edit/stories/01edit.htm

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/March/31/local/stories/04local.htm

http://www.metroactive.com/metro-santa-cruz/01.25.06/wage-0604.html

http://www.gtweekly.com/news/story.2006-02-01.1520711457

http://www.gtweekly.com/news/story.2006-06-21.8685225907

http://www.gtweekly.com/news/story.2006-04-26.3412563432

http://www.gtweekly.com/dining/story.2006-05-31.7713875653

No On Measure G Campaign
849 Almar Avenue, Suite C, #107
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Casey Coonerty-Protti, Treasurer – FPPC #1290410
by G. Rateful
Thanks for posting this list. I will make a point of supporting these people who have saved our local economy from radicalization and marginalization. Also, thanks for this forum where such a lively (and entertaining) debate occurred. It's wonderful to see such a spirit of reconciliation from the "Yes on G" side so soon. It reflects well on the character of them (folks like Ms. Johnson and Messrs. Norris-Kahn and Argue) and all others who participated! Thanks again.
by David
The sheer amount of force behind the No On Meas G blew my mind, even in the light of an independent study that says the impact would be negligible.
Santa Cruz businesses always have some excuse for their lackluster profits...the earthquake, street musicians too close to the doorways, chain retailers, live drumming, hippie corner, hackey sackers, wages too high, Farmer's Market stealing customers, too loud, too much, too late, etc, etc.... always pointing the finger at someone else.
I couldn't believe it when I reached over a huge pile of 'No ON G" flyers to pay a minimum wage laborer for my Kelly's coffee and sandwich. A blatant slap in the face to your own workers. I support a full boycott of this list of "local" business.
by jillportamento
Bad Ass is a disgrace.

They have bad coffee, first of all.

I patronized this coffee shop because I worked catty corner to the store, and had to check my email for another job often during the day time. I winced every time I went in due to the bad atmosphere. I withstood it.

One day I came in and made a rather larger order. Waiting for my food, and holding my receipt, I went towards the handicapped-- only available computer-- for a quick email check. Technically, due to a knee problem, I am handicapped. I cannot stand for long periods. I was instantly screamed at by the owner, who assumed that I was a vagrant stealing internet time. His wife called 911 and told me to get out. She did not deliver my food or refund my money. I refused to leave until I got the food, which I could not eat. The police were on there way. So I threw the food down. I was attacked on my way out by a woman named Barbara Glass, who said that I had "battered" her with my plate. She is good friends with the owners. Barbara and the male owner pulled the clothes off my body and made every effort to get me arrested that day, although it did not happen.

Do not patronize this store. They have bad product, BAD attitude, and a hateful, paranoid policy towards anyone who doesn't look rich. And I was dressed well that day.

They are engaged in the war of the local businesses against the local people of non-richness.
They are a tacky franchise, and I am not surprised that they are against labor as well. What, would paying people more jeopardize their cheap carnival merchandise in some way?
Do you really need cameras on people using your internet?

I am glad you have never stepped in, I had my severe doubts about this place and was punished for not following my first instinct.

They are not just anti-poor, they are LOOKING for people to arrest, with the help of the business in back of them.
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