Ocasio-Cortez announces staff starting salary of $52K to champion 'living wage'

[jpak]

Source: The Hill

Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced this week that no one on her staff would make less than $52,000 a year, a move aimed at championing a “living wage.”

The progressive firebrand’s policy creates an unheard of salary for young House staffers in Washington, D.C., where the average rent is more than $2,000 a month, Roll Call reported Friday.

“It’s likely one of the highest entry-level salaries on the Hill,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter. “We pinch pennies elsewhere, but it’s worth every dime to pay a living wage.”

It’s likely one of the highest entry-level salaries on the Hill. We pinch pennies elsewhere, but it’s worth every dime to pay a living wage.https://www.rollcall.com/news/congress/alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-call-living-wage-starts-office …

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Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/431270-ocasio-cortez-announces-staff-starting-salary-of-52k-to-champion-living-wage

[Maggiemayhem]

1. DC and surrounding suburbs have a high cost of living

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

2. What's the office staffing budget for a new congress-person? About a million?

Some of it for full-time staff, some of whom will make a lot more than the 52k minimum, then some more money for the $15/hr interns, she may run with a leaner staff than many congress people.

I assume the budget has to pay for any staffers at her NY office(s).

[George II]

7. She doesn't have any NY offices.

[question everything]

10. And she is serving her constituents how, exactly?

You need a local office. Well, it is up to them, I suppose.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

15. She will probably open a NY office, maybe before summer recess.

They, like all the rest of us, get the month of August off.

Like the rest of us

[Delaknight]

3. Tell me about it

My niece was paying $3600. a month for a plain jane townhouse in Bethesda while she was training at Walter Reed several years ago. Her 90 yr old grandmother almost fainted when she heard about it saying she barely paid more than that for her first house ($5200).

[jmowreader]

4. Fortunately, she should only need a couple offices in her district

[George II]

11. She should only need a couple, but she has NONE! The only Representative that has no offices.

[jmowreader]

12. But that's okay...

...because the Green New Deal and overthrowing Democrats who aren't quite pure enough for her is more important than constituent service.

[pampango]

17. I am not 'overthrowing' a Democrat because she is 'too pure'.

A Democrat who believes in a living wage and a Green New Deal will be attacked mercilessly by republicans. I'll leave it to them.

[jmowreader]

22. Back up there

The Justice Democrats are working to rid Congress of any Democrat who doesn’t agree with them. This is the Big Tent Party, not the My Way Or The Highway Party.

[iluvtennis]

5. Support AOC doing this, hopefully other follow her lead. If gov't can give $1 Trillion tax break

to corps, gov't can pay staff $52,000 year (=4333 per month before taxes).

[Mr.Bill]

6. I knew a woman who was the press secretary for a Congressman.

She was paid 60K and said it was a struggle to live in DC on that salary. That was in 1978.

[MichMan]

9. That is $232K in 2019 dollars

That is more than congress members make

[Mr.Bill]

23. Do you really think their salary is all they make?

[MichMan]

25. I certainly don't think that every staffer should be paid $232k either as a living wage

Kudos to AOC for increasing the pay of her staff to what she did however

[Bradical79]

21. I highly doubt that -nt

[TexasBushwhacker]

24. There are always people who can't live within their budget

No matter what their budget is.

[Grins]

26. More like $6,000 in 1978

I think you have one too many 0’s there.
My salary was $18,000 then and that was damn good! I bought an Olds Cutlass in 1979 and I don’t think it cost me $4,000.

[littlemissmartypants]

8. $3,880 shy of what a year

at Duke costs as of this week when they announced their tuition increase to $55,880 per year.

[Tiggeroshii]

13. It's astonishIng they dont make that already.

Especially considering how much they work and the cost of living in dc being one of the highest in the country.

[Raine]

14. Good for her! nt

[Snellius]

16. In Boston, NYC, SF that's close to the minimum line.

Average income for nice, 2 bedroom apartment in Boston estimated at 70K/year. In SF like 100. Inner DC probably close.

[DeminPennswoods]

18. Works out to $25/hr

for a 40 hour week. Figure state (approx 6% DC, 4%MD), local taxes plus 7.65 FICA, health insurance and net pay is closer to $20/hr.

[nitpicker]

19. In 2014, I calculated a FERS retiree on $43K per year in the DC area

Even with a paid-off home and car:

Got about $30K after deductions (tax, health and life insurance, etc.)

And if lucky, about $15K after taking off for utilities, car expense, real estate tax and food.

But if you break a tooth, or something else happens...

And it's even worse for renters. If you don't want to live in cockroach land, a decent apartment runs at least $2000 a month.

So the representative's living wage proposal is ((just barely)) a living wage for the DC area.

[madville]

27. That's why many retire to lower cost of living areas

I'm in the SF Bay Area working now, make decent money for the area. I certainly won't retire here though, I'll likely go back to the Southeast were I can easily live on 1/3 of what I make out here.

A single person living on 52k isn't bad in most high cost places if you can get by without a car and split rent with multiple roommates.

[GatoGordo]

20. Interested to see if she can pull it off.

Interns getting paid $15 per hour is virtuous, but it is going to come at the cost of some high skilled staff.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

28. I know someone who made this amount working on the Hill who lived comfortably in a shared apartment

that was within bike-able distance but was about an hour on public transport. It's not perfect, but she's trying something new.

[apnu]

29. How are staffers paid?

Is it through some stipend the Rep has through the Capital or does the money come from their campaign?