who provide the service to san francisco need to have a permanent solution to these problems. thank you for your time. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. i am with hamilton family center. i wanted to start out by sharing the waiting list for family homeless shelter hit a high mark of 287 families a few years ago and now down to 137 families and that is not due to a reduction in demand but due to hard work at our family center, catholic charities and other non-profits in the city and ts embarrassing frankly that we're not able to pay these workers a fair wage that allows them to stay in the city that they have given so much to. a couple of facts i. ed to point out. >> >> yee you asked about the cost savings and contracting

out with non-profits. a case manager and the fully loaded case working for the city is $140,000 a year and the fully cost at well paying non-profit is only about $80,000 a year. multiply that by the number of case managers that you're paying for and i think it's a significant amount of money that the sector is paying -- the non-profit sector is saving the government, but this shouldn't be done on the backs of workers. i think it's great we can save money and provide excellent services but should do so in a way that is fair. we're under a lot of pressure in the non-profit sector. some of you may know due to changes in the health care reform in january organizations that are between 50 and 100 employees are looking at double digit increases in insurance and we can't increase wages with this and philanthropy

isn't the answer and not to back fill government contracts and it helps the mission and be innovative and grow and be better. we look to you to solve this problem and i appreciate your time and interest in this topic. >> actually the numbers that you gave 140,000 versus 80,000 -- that's about a 40% -- you operate at 40% less than a city employee or department might operate under? >> i can't do the percentages in my head -- [laughter] but i know the $140,000 number is correct if you look into it and the $80,000 number comes from our own budget. >> thank you. [applause] >> next speaker. >> hi. my name is william camp nelo. i'm a crisis counselor at progress foundation acute diversion unit called the avenues and member of the seiu. i have been working in the

non-profit industry in san francisco for 15 years now and i never got into it for the money, but the fact is in those 15 years my salary has gone up almost zero in 15 years of working in the non-profit sector. now granted i could have taken an administrative job and sat in front of a computer all day but that's not what i want to do. i want to work with clients. not only has that been the fact but the fact is over that 15 years the a cue itd of the clients that i have been working with steadily increasing, increasing, increasing, increasing. we're dealing with people who are basically completely incapable of taking care of themselves with very inadequate funding and a very inadequate infrastructure. the other thing i would like to point out is that that the san francisco

department of public health has been providing these services now for many, many years and i laud them. there is no where else in the united states that provides services to the homeless and to the mentally ill that san francisco does, but the department of public health has been balancing their budget on the backs of non-profit workers now for a very long time, and i think it only fair that we get paid what they pay themselves, and even if it were within 20% which it isn't. now he mentioned earlier the speaker before me the difference in the case management costs. most of that difference is the salaries and it's just -- we work with the most difficult -- we are on the front lines of the problems that all you have to do -- >> thank you so much sir. >> thank you. >> thank you. i'm going to call a few more names.

[calling speaker names] those are all the cards that i have. next speaker. >> hello. i am vivian davis. i am here to represent baker places, non-profits specifically, jo roughin. we are a residential treatment center housing 16 people. a little bit on perspective. i recently moved here from out of state. i am from tulsa oklahoma and moved here in september and when i left the state i was making about $40,000 a year and i know in tulsa the median income is about $47,000. i have a house and mortgage payment

that is 550 a month and moving to san francisco and i love this beautiful city i expected to make a little more due to the cost of living but as a masters level licensed clinician i make $18.44 an hour and my rent is 2700 a month, so for the first time in my adult life i had to be financially self sufficient on my own. if i didn't have a partner here i'm not sure what i would do and it's a very vulnerable place to be and i love what i do and i love the non-profit work that i do but if any assistance would be greatly appreciated for the non-profit agencies. thank you. >> thank you ms. davis. [applause] >> hi. my name is jordan wigins and with the local non-profit. i have been in this work for 15 years and i am here

to reiterate that i think the 5% would help the case managers like myself very much so. i don't know if you know but we work -- as everybody said the most challenging clients, families and children in the city of san francisco, and other places as well. i feel that overall you have to take care of your workers period point blank and i work with a lot of people who are homeless and i make a running joke. maybe it's not funny to them but i am one paycheck from being homeless so i think the 5% will definitely help and i think that you guys should take a look at that. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker, mr. bradshaw. >> hello supervisors. larry bradshaw seiu 1021. i think we remember the wal-mart store that sponsored a food drive for needy families during the holidays

and america was shocked that the recipients were full time workers at the same store and similar outrage that mcdonald's had a resource line for employees to call to find out what public assistance they qualify for. i think in san francisco we think we're more enlightened than these companies but we come to you every year to tell you that the policies regarding city funded non-profits is not more enleidenninged. we had a conference this weekend and the workers shared stories of the programs they administer and the same ones they qualify for based on income. we have a member working at the native american health center and what it's like to line up for the wic benefits at her place of employment so as we talk about the permanent fix and i am thank will we're finally talking about a permanent fix we want to talk what it means to be a full time

worker at a city funded non-profit that you qualify for the programs that you administer or that many non-profits do not offer family health care and the few that do offer health care it's about a thousand dollar per month which assuming $15 minimum wage is half your salary so as we move forward we would like to find a permanent fix that's dignified that's enlightened and something we can be proud of as san franciscans and we have better labor policy than some of the bad actors. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon supervisors. name anymore is natalie nailer and i am the elected leader of opeiu local three and i want to say i am extremely grateful to be speaking on this topic and not fighting to retain basic services and retain the jobs of our members so thank you. what

i would like to stress today is now is the time to work on the permanent fix. local three, our members, our employers, we all are here to work together to create a permanent fix whether it be the convening of a task force to do that, but now is the time. also i would like to encourage while we're working on this that you consider the 5% cost of doing business increase. thank you. >> thank you want next speaker. >> >> hi. my name is kaitd lynn and the research coordinator with seiu 1021. it is high time that the city do right by non-profit workers and the city's moral imperative and the city can afford it and san francisco is experiencing economic growth in the country and the controller's budget report that was just released projected an end year balance of

$250 million but the people providing these critical services to san franciscans who need it the most they're not seeing any of that money. for the 10 year period cited inflationary costs have sky rocketed for non-profits and increased 143% for some cases and average rent in san francisco went over average of 80% and cpi increased 24% and the non-profits between 2009 and 12 received zero funding which basically is a cut and we're left every budget season during the process fighting for scraps and maybe getting 1.5% here and there and it's not sustainable and we need a permanent solution to provide adequate stable funding for non-profits and as larry said we hear reports from the field of non-profit workers and reliant on the services they provide to their clients. it's

a disgrace and i want to point out since we're talking about public safety later our members are providing public safety services in the true sense of the word and mental health care and supportive treatment and work force training. we don't need to invest in policing and incarceration but invest in services that benefit the communities. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> i am jessie and a mental health worker in the city. there was a question about how much funding goes into new services and how much used to maintain existing service and i took issue and made me think of the bay bridge and there is a new bridge but if you travel on the old one you would fall into the bay. if you think we can provide the same services next year with the same money you're wrong and if you think we can provide the same services with stagnant funds over 10 years

then you're deliberately dismantling the safety net and if you need proof of this you can look at the increasing number of san franciscans that end up in jails and you can talk to any non-profit worker and one paycheck away from falling into the safety net they're trying to maintain or walk across to hyde street and why are there mentally ill people living in the shadow of city hall and i encourage you to ask yourself what san francisco you're living in. thanks. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon. supervisors. i am seiu 1021 and also a non-profit work everybody here in san francisco. >> >> i want to thank you for giving us the space and public comment and time to come up and speak. i know i have been here before to advocate for

non-profits and years ago for myself and make sure my job wasn't cut when things were really bad but as you see today we have many different parties involved and wanting to find a permanent solution. there has been talk about doing working group or a task force or personally i feel i have been part of a task force and working group over the last decade with the people in the chamber today and what do we do with the large non-profit industry that san francisco created for good reason and provide the services that we do and if someone is working in a non-profit sector i think this goes a long way. right. this helps our community and makes san francisco what it is and now is the time to put the extra effort in to look out for us and help us out as workers and we know what are the services need to be given and

we're at them everyday but honesty i i am speaking as a worker and we need to being looking at as well and when i come from my house and out here and i find low wage workers everywhere and not just fast food and fighting hard and non-profits and working two, three jobs and all of this work and we're seeing a lot of that in the non-profits and a brother spoke earlier and one paycheck missing from receiving the services and being on the street and that's the first thing i learned working in non-profits 10 years ago and that is still evident today and still real so find a permanent solution and make this happen. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon supervisors. thanks for holding this hearing. san francisco is facing an affordability crisis and it's now one of the most expensive

cities in the nation to live and work. median rental -- rent has increased to $4,021 and non-profit wages have remained flaft for years and still never caught up from the recession and meanwhile for profit contractor's wages increase automatically every year. and this is highlighted by for profit contractors and minimum wage is $13 two and nonprofits is a dollar less. that is unacceptable. thousands of our non-profit members continue to earn poverty wages, pay thousands of dollars for health care, do not receive a pension. every year we come to you to ask you to give us a handout while the for profits never have to do that. that inequity, that

injustice has to end and we think the time to end that is now. we don't have too much time. we are tired of going through this process every year. i'm sure you're tired of it too and tired of seeing us here so we're asking you to fix this finally and asking to you fix it now. these folks deserve nothing less. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] also bobby blackman from the tenderloin housing clinic and anyone else that would like to speak we're going to wrap up public comment in a moment so please come forward. next speaker. >> good afternoon supervisors. thank you so much for the opportunity once again. i am a member of the opieu local three. i came last time because in front of you guys last time just to help us move forward to all that we have so you know all the services the city give to us,

like -- [inaudible] higher and higher. and also the rent is getting high so we as employees have a really hard time trying to get to work and [inaudible] ourselves. i want to know how the city can function -- we call san francisco one day without non-profits, so let's see -- let's put a test. let's shut down all of the system and the non-profit organizations for one day and see what happens and that's not our intention. the intention is to help you do this budget better. the 5% increase would really help us to serve and also it would help us as a members, the entire non-profit organizations to be a better person. we are better people and [inaudible] who we are. we are people united. we are people with really good heart.

san francisco is very kind city and also the people who represent to us. you supervisors really, really are doing hard work but at the same time we need an extra mile to outreach or to reach what we really need. i just want to say thank you for your support all this time doing for of us and i hope i don't see you next year asking for more money. thank you so much. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hi. my name is stephanie lay and i have spoken here before and a current employee at edge wood and i don't want to bring that up because it distracted from the conversation and they're funded and they don't need me here and i am here on behalf of the teamsters and everyone else not getting paychecks and granted we don't get paid crap but that's a different story and we need to stop looking at non-profits as a

stepping stone and as many mentioned and worked at fi -- non-profits and that's a stepping stone and 19 of us are workers and -- do you really want to look at this as a stepping stone? you work at a non-profit for a few years and then's politician and then a corporate office. is that what you want? because we could all run against you and we're all smart and capable and we're paid $13, $14 an hour and that is disgusting and when we look at non-profits as an option and not a necessity. just quick i work at many non-profits in the city and children and family services and boys and girls club, [inaudible] and edgewood and they're all great organizations all different and serve very high need populations but they all pay very low and they do that because they have this

perception that one, they can, and two, they have to and sometimes both are true and sometimes one is true. edgewood pays well because they know we're making less compared to the unionized workers and that is not okay. we have been fighting for a year now and making the same as the unionized people because we have so much money and throw it at lawyers but we're here fighting for money for everyone else. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hello i'm my name is stan crass. i'm a counselor and part of local three and i need more of two minutes so i hope this makes sense. peer counselor is probably the lowest rung at the shelter i work with. case managers have a case load anywhere from three to eight

people. i have about 40. everyone who is homeless at the shelter is my client. let's see. and i do everything i can to give them the support and security that they need. we work on changing behaviors. i have helped clients who were so angry at going out and attacking someone and getting back into the criminal system. i have been working for womens' place for two and a half years but working with homeless people since my friends in school were kicked out of their house for one reason or another and doing everything i can to assist since then. i've also moved about eight times in two years because i can't afford peace and quiet. i can't get a studio or one bedroom because landlords don't think i make enough money. i

know what it's like when i was working grave to get -- eye a shoot out and i know what it sounds like to have bullets go my head and i am trying to go to work and i was going to get shot for $11.75. i don't have a computer because it broke. i don't have a car. i can't afford to get my girlfriend a birthday present. i can't afford to go to dancing or dinner with friends and it's a struggle and stress at home and work. >> thank you so much. >> i just want to help. [applause] >> good afternoon supervisors. my name is connie ford. i was the former -- or the former head of opeiu local three and now

work with the labor council and the vice president. since we are in a two year budget cycle that is new. that's what we're in. the union side is asking for 5% for cost of business each year. that will help us take all of this kind of meeting and organizing and begging and pleading off the table and then we want to spend the next period of time working on a permanent fix. now a permanent fix is something that the labor council executive board passed a resolution endorsing. they said it's time to stop the begging. we need the permanent fix. i want to congratulate ramsey around for a decade and many have been around for two or three decades and we won't go further than that because it's extreme. we have been asking for this and treated like a for profit contractor and have a

multi-year contract and escalator that is fair and the workers can count on wage increases and take all of this mumbo jumbo off and asking you the department heads and all of the people to look at this carefully and come together and work together and let's really fix this forever so that we all can come back and do all of the great work that all of the great people do well. thanks. >> thank you ms. ford. next speaker. [applause] >> my name is bobby blackman. okay. first of all there is two sides to this situation. how are you going to look in the kids eyes and have the people coming home from work and not too much to eat? two, i can understand the city side as

well. we need professional people to help the city of san francisco to bring forth a balanced economic system. now, you all do the math, so all i am saying it's very imperative that the city, county, state workers come together and try to find a balanced solution because i see the time is running out. you guys know it. look around. so we have to work together and move forward and that is my speech. >> thank you. next speaker. [applause] >> good afternoon supervisors. my name is richard heisel and the executive director at clinic house and employ about 170 people as chief of staff. i am

responsible for among other things looking at their compensation and not just in the short run year to year and negotiated labor agreements, but looking at the long-term, so people of color and women are disproportionality present in the work force and represent over half of the people we employ, and we are stressed by the fact that it's very difficult to maintain our work force. the last two years i have seen half of our case managers actually leave employment with us to go . >> >> elsewhere and going into the weeds to look at that most can't afford to live in san francisco in the first place so they're looking at other counties so if you have staff that would like to take a dive into the fair pay survey put out once a year about non-profit employment and look to other

bay area counties you will be shocked to see what i saw and if you want to make a better wage in the neighborhood of 15% better go to san mateo, go to santa clara, go to marin, go to alameda. san francisco comes in dead last and in order to actually find comparable wages about what we're able to pay you have to go to the valley and i am thinking there is something fundamentally wrong with that, so i don't know that -- well, i will just say that i think the 5% for two years in a row is a terrific idea that can be supported from a couple of points of view. if you want to see it as reparations for the decade that's one idea and a down payment and better future for you and us and

others. >> >> i am interested in the data from other counties. >> i am pleased to provide that. >> thank you. next speaker. >> good afternoon supervisors i work for tenderloin housing clinic. i'm a janitor and working there for seven years. i would just like to say that the 5% that we're asking for would do a lot of good. i would like to say as a single mother that is raising four children on our own what i make now is not nearly enough to take care of my children. i don't even live with my children because i don't make enough. i can't live in the city of san francisco with the salary i make because it's not enough to pay the rent for a one bedroom i would probably need to work three jobs. right now i can only work one. the one i am working i really enjoy. i am happy to be there all the

time. the people they work with are happy to see me and i just would like to continue this work and live with my children in an affordable city. that's what the 5% we're asking for will do. thank you. >> thank you. [applause] >> good evening. my name is kenny barber and my only problem is i am 57 years old and low income housing for us we can't get. you don't want to give it to us and you give it to the younger folks and not the older folks that worked their whole life and i don't know why you don't sit everyone down as a group and go through this and there's a lot of things you're doing is not right and just you want to put the housing -- more police. you don't ne