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Board raises minimum pay for private contractors at SFO to $17 an hour
Summary
The Board unanimously approved an ordinance to raise the minimum compensation for employees of for-profit city contractors at San Francisco International Airport to $17 an hour, effective in staged increases beginning Nov. 3, 2018.
The Board of Supervisors on Sept. 25 unanimously passed an ordinance (Item 47) amending the Administrative Code to increase the minimum hourly compensation rate for employees of for-profit city contractors at San Francisco International Airport to $17 an hour, with the increase to take effect in staged steps beginning Nov. 3, 2018.
Why it matters: The ordinance targets for-profit contractors who provide airport services and will raise the wage floor above the prevailing local minimum at the airport. Supporters framed the vote as an overdue step to help low-wage workers who perform essential on-the-ground services at SFO.
What passed and when: The ordinance increases contractor minimum pay for for-profit contractors to $17 an hour, with an implementation date noted in debate as Nov. 3, 2018. The board passed the measure unanimously.
Support and context: Supervisor Kim, one of the ordinance sponsors and a long-time advocate for raising wage standards, said the measure had been in the works since 2017 and represented a negotiated agreement with labor and industry that limited city fiscal exposure. "This ordinance will move employees for-profit city contractor contractors to an hourly wage of $17 an hour," Kim said during the hearing, and she noted the "soonest possible date" for implementation as Nov. 3.
Supervisor Ronan underscored the broader public-service rationale beyond morality, telling colleagues San Francisco must pay living wages to attract workers needed to serve the city's aging population: "We have an exploding senior population...we will not attract the workforce that we need to provide this critical work and allow seniors to age in place with dignity in their homes in San Francisco."
Scope and next steps: The legislation applies to employees of for-profit contractors under city contracts and is limited to that sector; supervisors and advocates repeatedly noted nonprofit and IHSS workers are not covered by this ordinance and that separate work remains to raise wages for those groups. Members of the Board who supported the ordinance urged continued work to expand living wages to nonprofit-contracted and public-entity contractor workers.
Votes: The ordinance passed unanimously (10 ayes).
