San Francisco Budget Ignores Nonprofit WorkersRandy Shawbyline‚ Jun. 24‚ 2008As San Francisco struggles to close an over $300 million budget deficit, nonprofit employees performing vital city services are being asked to bear the brunt of this fiscal crisis. Some nonprofit employees face layoffs due to program cuts, and the mayor’s proposed budget includes no raises at all for nonprofit workers. This wage freeze comes as gas prices and rents continue to rise, and as it is harder than ever to live in San Francisco on a nonprofit salary. If all who performed services for the city were treated equally, this wage freeze could be justified. But that’s not the case. Some city workers—police, fire and nurses—will receive raises this year of over 6% despite the deficit, as part of a deal approved by the Mayor and Board of Supervisors in 2007. And while nobody can criticize these workers for getting the most money they can, and we can talk about laying off city managers and extracting more money from downtown corporations, the bottom line is that San Francisco’s elected officials continue to increase the salary gap between nonprofits and other workers. And they are willing to accept an underpaid nonprofit sector even if this means lower quality services for the city’s most vulnerable. |