When the wage rose, me. Parra said she could more easily help with renting and paying the phone and cable bills at the apartment she shares with her mother, who earns $ 18.50 an hour at a heating and air-conditioning business.
However, she noticed that her wages were not enough to be able to live alone. “I would not say that we are poor, but also not that we are doing well,” she said. “But because we both have income, we can make ends meet.”
Mayor Jerry Dyer said there were “obviously mixed feelings” about the rising minimum wage. “As mayor of a city, it’s important that we have people in our community who deserve a living wage,” he said.
But Mr. Dyer, a Republican, said he also understands the pain businesses can experience. “I have heard from companies that if the minimum wage rises too much, they can not be competitive,” he said.
“This is the challenge we face,” he said.
One question is whether $ 15 is enough.
In Fresno it is often not. MIT’s living wage computer estimates that a living wage in Fresno for a family of four, including both adults, is $ 22.52 an hour. Over the past year, Fresno’s average rent has risen 11 percent to $ 1,260, according to the National List Report by Apartment List, one of the largest increases in the country.
40 hours a week, Jessica Ramirez (26) earns $ 15.65 an hour at the Amazon warehouse in Fresno. She is the primary breadwinner for herself, her partner and her five children, but even with food stamps and occasional work, she says, her pay is barely enough to get by.