NORTHAMPTON — More than three-quarters of 235 Northampton restaurant workers surveyed by the Pioneer Valley Workers Center make less than a living wage — a wage high enough to meet a basic standard of living, which in this city amounts $13.18 per hour.
This was one of several findings Clare Hammonds of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Labor Center presented to the Northampton City Council Committee on Community Resources Monday evening, part of a comprehensive study that collected data over two years.
In a meeting that spanned three hours, the community resources committee, which is launching a study of the local economy in response to a request put forward by City Council President William Dwight and Vice President Ryan O’Donnell last month, also heard from Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Suzanne Beck and the city’s economic development director Terry Masterson.
Several people spoke as part of the Pioneer Valley Workers Center presentation, painting a picture of a restaurant industry defined by inadequate wages, discrimination, few benefits and poor working conditions.
The survey, conducted between March 2014 and March 2016, found 96 percent of respondents reporting that they did not have access to paid sick and vacation days. It also highlighted a number of overtime and minimum wage violations and showed that few employees have access to health insurance.
“We need quality in the workplace, we need at a very minimum that bosses comply with the minimum wage, we need respect and we need security for workers,” local restaurant employee Jonathan Alvarez said through a translator.
Making changes in the restaurant industry is crucial, Hammonds said, as it provides an “important source of jobs for some of the most marginalized workers.”
Manny Gines, of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, said wage violations are similarly rampant in the construction industry, where employees are often paid in cash and not compensated for overtime work.
The study put forward several policy recommendations, including strengthening the enforcement of employment laws, supporting collective organizing and publicly recognizing responsible employers. Pioneer Valley Workers Center coordinator Rose Bookbinder pointed to wage theft ordinances enacted in Cambridge and Boston as models for Northampton to consider.
Adam Dunetz, who owns The Green Bean and The Roost, spoke as a business owner who strives to follow all employee and wage laws.
Though restaurants are not easy endeavors, he said it’s possible to comply with the laws and run a sustainable business.
Following this presentation, the committee heard from Masterson about work he has done to collect data on Northampton’s downtown business climate.
The city launched a new webpage Monday detailing a series of economic indicators, including business inventory and activity, storefront vacancies, retail rents, building values, key local revenues and attendance figures.
Masterson walked the committee members through this data, noting that most of downtown’s 190 shops are locally owned.
With 14 of 204 storefronts sitting empty, the city has a vacancy rate of 7 percent.
In the past 12 months, downtown Northampton has seen eight new businesses open, six businesses make significant transitions and nine businesses close, according to city data.
Ward 2 Councilor Dennis Bidwell asked if Masterson knew of any general cost pressures that were leading businesses to close, which prompted the suggestion of “exit interviews” to see why shops close their doors.
The committee will next meet on April 12, when it will likely schedule several public hearings on topics related to the local economy, committee chair and Ward 4 Councilor Gina-Louise Sciarra said.
Stephanie McFeeters can be reached at smcfeeters@gazettenet.com.