Taos officials moving toward increasing minimum wage
Fight for living wage is reaching boiling point
TAOS — It’s known around town as the Taos two-step. It’s not a dance, but a way of life for people trying to keep a roof above their heads.
The minimum wage has increased in certain cities in New Mexico, but employees in Taos find themselves struggling to survive in a town whose minimum wage is the same as the state’s, at $7.50 per hour, while a high cost of living refuses to give way to financial woes. Many see Taos as one of the most difficult places to live — requiring two or even three jobs.
To address the issue, some community members are pushing for an increase in the minimum wage.
“The rate of living in Taos is incredibly disproportionate to the income level,” said Aubrey Guzman, a Taos newcomer. Working two jobs is necessary, she said, “to pay for life.”
Some businesses in Taos, such as Guerrilla Graphix, have worked to build a reputation of paying their employees a “living wage” — one calculated to at least cover basic expenses.
“We have never paid an employee minimum wage,” said Guerrila Graphix owner Travis Parkin in an email. “Our average employee earns $15.25 per hour. We also have an established profit sharing program which provides additional earnings to every one of our employees based on their productivity. Our average employee receives a monthly profit sharing check of approximately $600 in addition to their already much higher-than-average hourly wage.”
Other stores in the community, such as Smith’s and Albertsons, also pay higher wages than the minimum.
Still, workers and community members say it’s often just not enough to keep up with the costs of housing and utilities.
The rate of $7.50 per hour equates to an annual salary of $15,600. With an increase to $8.50 per hour, workers would be earning $17,680 a year before taxes, insurance premiums and other costs are deducted — deductions that often consume more than $200 of a worker’s monthly salary.
The Home Rule Committee in Taos has been listening to the problems of low-wage workers and has been working to increase
the town’s minimum wage to get it closer to the estimated “living wage.” According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a living wage in Taos would be $10.80 an hour for a single adult.
According to a collection of area listings on Craigslist, the average rental price for a twobedroom apartment in Taos is more than $1,300 per month, while a one-bedroom is $845. In Española, a two-bedroom costs only $807.
Taos rental prices are closer to those in Santa Fe, where the average for one- and two-bedroom rentals is $890 and $1,540, respectively. A single person in Santa Fe working 40 hours per week on that city’s minimum wage — now set at $11.09 — would pay 50 percent of their monthly income toward a one-bedroom
apartment.
In Taos, a tenant earning minimum wage would spend 70 percent of their monthly income on rent.
“It’s ridiculous, the rent in this town,” said former Ace Hardware employee Valerie Barton. “People are saying there is no way anyone can live here. You have to have two or three jobs to make it.”
To set its own wages, Taos must first become a “home rule” town, which means it would have the authority to govern itself. The Home Rule Committee has begun that process. Citing other cities in New Mexico that have raised their minimum wage, such as Santa Fe, members of the committee say it would benefit Taos to increase the wages to improve employment.
Albuquerque and Las Cruces also have increased their minimum wages in recent years. Las Cruces’ base wage was raised to $9.20, while Albuquerque has increased its wage to $8.80.
Efforts to increase the statewide minimum wage have failed in recent years.
“Part of the reason we always see these ‘help wanted’ signs at places that have the lowest wages is because people really can’t afford to make it there,” said Darien Fernandez, a town councilor and a member of the Home Rule Committee.
“It becomes a situation where it’s almost more advantageous for them financially to continue to receive whatever [social welfare] benefits they receive than it is to strive to work for $8.50 an hour at a job they might not get 40 hours a week on,” he added.
“The jobs seem to be fruitful if you’re OK working for minimum wage,” Guzman said, “but everything that pays a living [wage] is scarce.”
Business owners in Taos have said many workers don’t have a strong work ethic and adequate job skills training, and therefore struggle to keep their jobs. To address the problem, the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Youth Corps in Taos is offering assistance to local young adults for basic work training.
“We’re seeing a huge challenge with our community members not being successful finding employment,” said Youth Corps Director Ben Thomas. “It’s hard work, but if it were easy, you wouldn’t gain as much out of it.”
Thomas and his staff hire workers between the ages of 16 and 25 for seasonal terms of service, in which they work on community projects and undergo specific training on both personal and professional levels. This training often includes résumé writing, how to work alongside co-workers and how to develop a good work ethic.
The work performed by the group is often outdoors and physical. The pay is not great — a biweekly stipend of $760 — but the job skills and life skills they gain are valuable.
The organization can’t fix all the employment problems in Taos, Thomas said, but he believes it offers a great starting point for both employers and workers.
This story first appeared in The Taos News, a sister publication of The New Mexican.