Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com March 14, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 7 EXHIBITING ARTISTS Loretta Adams Jennifer Amenta Ryan Arruda Jessikah Ann Tess Barbato Amanda Bastien Matthew Burgos Melanie Christopher Deanna Degon James Dye Katie Dye Christian Farren David Gates Amanda Gibson Leslie Graff Ben Gragen Marissa Grossi Katie Lee Haley Meaghan Hardy-Lavoie Anne Harris Alisa Harrison Scarlett Hoey Sarah Hudson Molly Jackson March 19-April 16, 2016 Join us for the opening reception March 18 ArtsWorcester Worcester Center for Crafts 660 Main Street 25 Sagamore Road 6:00-8:00 pm 5:30-7:30 pm Awards, donated by Davis Art Gallery, will be announced at both galleries at 6:30 pm. ! Worcester Center for Crafts A collaboration to exhibit the next generation of regional artists Rey Jay Timothy Johnson Nicholas Kantarelis Nastasia Lawton- Sticklor Marybeth Lensel Sarah Margolin Kate Murphy Nina Nguyen Sean O'Gara Irina Parfenova Desiree Petty Cesar Rodrigues Emily Sandagata Robb Sandagata Brittany Severance Justin Sliwoski John Wesley Small Rebecca Smith Pamela Stolz Joanne Stowell Terrasa Ulm Sarah Williams wbj half page_WBJ 1/2 page 2/16/16 5:05 PM Page 1 Employment Law Project, a workers' advocacy organization based in New York City that is pushing for minimum wage increases nationwide. Last year, State Sen. Daniel A. Wolf (D-Hyannis) filed a bill in the legislature asking that cities be allowed to set their own minimum wages higher than the state's. "It hasn't been established that cities can raise the minimum wage, but cities can establish higher wages for projects that get tax benefits. That's why many cities [nationwide] are adopting $15 wage for those types of workers," Sonn said. Setting the minimum wage is some- thing states – not municipalities – should get to decide, Loosemore said. The Fight for $15 The nationwide push for a $15-an- hour minimum wage started about three years ago, when fast food workers pro- tested because they said they were unable to support themselves, Sonn said. Since then, officials in Los Angeles voted to raise that city's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, and New York state became the first to raise wages to $15 an hour for fast food and state employees. Earlier this year, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced a task force assembled to figure out what a $15 minimum wage would mean for the capital city. On Beacon Hill, several proposals related to the higher minimum wage are being considered, including an increase in wages for workers at fast food chains, big-box retail stores and service employ- ees at Logan airport. Last year, the Bay State became the first in the nation to raise wages to $15 an hour for home healthcare workers, according to NELP. The statewide $10 an hour minimum wage is scheduled to go up by $1 to $11 per hour in January 2017. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Unfriendly to business City Councilman Tony Economou, who chairs the economic development subcommittee, said he was worried requiring a $15 minimum wage would send the wrong message to developers. "If all of this goes out the window, we won't have to worry about giving every- one a TIF because there won't be anyone sitting on the other side of the table ask- ing for one," Economou said. "It's one of those, 'Be careful what you wish for' things because the goal is to attract busi- ness and create a sustainable community as you go forward." Councilwoman Sarai Rivera said Worcester needs to not be such a "cheap date" for developers, and that the city has a lot to offer besides tax breaks. She and Councillor George Russell both raised concerns the cost of living is already too high for some city residents. According to the Economic Policy Institute's family budget calculator, a single worker with no children in Worcester needs to make $14.39 an hour in order to maintain a modest standard of living. Nearly 12 percent of Worcester's population lives below the poverty level, according to 2010-2014 American Community Survey estimates. The city's economic development office is currently working on a report assessing the potential implications of a Worcester is considering a requirement for all private companies receiving special tax-increment financing to pay a $15 minimum wage for their workers. Here is the list of current TIF projects in the city as of December 2015. Allmerica Financial/Hanover Insurance Group 2002 14 225 Universal Metals Corp. 2003 20 5 Fargo Management/Hilton Garden Inn 2004 20 100 IBS Commodities, Inc. 2007 20 5 184 Main Street Associates 2009 10 1 Saint Gobain Performance Plastics 2009 15 41 Angel Guard Products, Inc. 2009 7 2 Beechwood Hotel 2010 10 16 Unum 2010 15 50 180 Main Street Associates 2011 10 1 50 Prescott Street, LLC 2011 16 20 Saint Vincent Hospital (cancer center) 2013 15 22 New Garden Park (20 Franklin St.) 2014 20 46 Dennison Lubricants/Oilzum 2014 7 20 Oasis at Dodge Park/KMRN Investment 2014 12 78 SXC Prescott Street Hotel, LLC 2015 7 30 Worcester Trumbull Street Hotel, LLC 2016 10 90 150 Blackstone River Road, LLC 2017 15 300 Worcester TIF projects Source: City of Worcester Executive Office of Economic Development $15 minimum wage to be discussed at the next economic development sub- committee meeting on March 22. "If the city of Worcester is going to give a tax break to a company, then we're going to ask them to provide jobs to folks to ask them to give a livable wage," Russell said. "It's a reasonable request for us to get an answer from the administration for why this will or will not work." n Year TIF Length of Jobs to Company started agreement (years) be created

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