Worker Stories

David Parkes, Security Guard

This Living Wage Ordinance is an important step for people who have been struggling to get by.

The living wage ordinance enacted in San Diego in 2005 hasn’t made David Parkes wealthy, but it saved him from bankruptcy and possibly medical disaster.

Working for a private security company at a major San Diego water plant, Parkes was making $8.85 an hour, with no health insurance. He relied on county clinics and hospital emergency rooms to control his kidney disease, and racked up huge medical bills.

Since the city required contractors to pay a “living wage,” the 62-year-old guard now makes $10 an hour plus health care benefits. With more regular medical care, he stays healthier and is slowly paying off his bills.

“It definitely helps to have health benefits,” Parkes said. “There’s no way I could afford to purchase my own insurance on my wages.”

Ricardo Rojas, Landscape Worker

This law has changed my life.

Before the Living Wage law passed, Ricardo would work hard all week long and still live in poverty after payday. There were important things that his family just had to go without, like getting their teeth fixed.

Now he’s making enough to have a car, which makes it easier to get to work. He’s been able to help his mother and put a little bit of money away for emergencies. And most importantly, all of his family’s dental work has been finished!

“When I write to you, I know that I’m also speaking for all of the people I work with. In addition to better providing for our families, receiving the Living Wage lets us work with dignity and pride,” Ricardo says.