By Suzanne Sprague
DALLAS – Suzanne Sprague, KERA 90.1 Reporter: The original living wage proposal would have required certain companies doing business with the City of Dallas to pay their employees $8.45 per hour with benefits, or $9.45 per hour without. But Mayor Ron Kirk tabled that motion nearly three months ago in the wake of resistance from the corporate community. Yesterday, Council Member Leo Chaney proposed a compromise that would apply only to companies that receive a tax abatement from the City. They could receive a bonus abatement if they voluntarily agreed to pay at least 80% of their workers this living wage. Some residents, like Carol Trevino, felt shortchanged.
Carol Trevino, Dallas resident: I believe in not compromising poor people's welfare, but obviously the current, present city council, you compromised a lot to a very watered-down policy.
Sprague: And Councilwoman Donna Blumer considered the measure an example of corporate welfare.
Donna Blumer, Dallas City Council member: What you've actually done is shift the cost of this living wage to the taxpayers, and that I see as a huge downside.
Sprague: Blumer was the only council member who voted against the living wage. But several other council members, including Don Hill, vowed to fight for a living wage ordinance that would benefit more workers.
Don Hill, Dallas City Council Member: We will revisit this. We will incorporate this bonus into items that will come before in business and commerce and other tax abatement issues, and we'll try to make this thing better and stronger.
Sprague: After passing the living wage ordinance, the Council immediately took up another labor issue: giving Dallas city employees a holiday in honor of Cesar Chavez, who established the first farm workers union in America. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Steve Salazar originally wanted the holiday to replace of Presidents' Day. But he revamped his proposal in the face of opposition. Steve Salazar, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem: The day that will be designated will be the first Monday in September, and it will be celebrated along with Labor Day.
Sprague: The compromise actually came from Council member Donna Blumer. Blumer didn't want to eliminate Presidents' Day; and, she didn't want to add an additional paid holiday, which could cost the city well over $1 million. But she hoped combining Labor Day and Cesar Chavez Day would give the traditional end-of-summer holiday more meaning.
Blumer: Maybe this will focus us back to the workers of this country. And it doesn't matter to me whether the face of the person out front is black, brown or white. He exemplifies the workers of America, and to me that is very important.
Sprague: Most of the citizen speakers, including the granddaughter of Cesar Chavez, supported the new holiday. But local talk radio host Tom Kamb of KLIF repeatedly disrupted the debate. Kamb said honoring Cesar Chavez would devalue Labor Day and make it a separatist holiday.
Tom Kamb, Radio Host, KLIF: Only the brown people work in Dallas.
Ron Kirk, Mayor, City of Dallas: Mr. Kamb, if you insist on disrupting the meeting, I'll have to have you removed.
Kamb: Have me removed.
Kirk: That's your wish, thank you, sir.
Kamb: This is a disgrace to devalue people of color because they don't look like Steve Salazar, that is a disgrace. That is a disgrace.
Sprague: After Kamb was removed from Council chambers, Mayor Kirk publicly denounced him. And the ordinance to establish Cesar Chavez day passed unanimously. For KERA 90.1, I'm Suzanne Sprague.