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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2002)
I PRO-EQUALITY PROZANSKI Demoerat tnr State Representative DISTRICT 8 g Paid and Authorized by Friends For Floyd Prozanski, g John Van Landingham, Treasurer, 51 PO Box 11511. Eugene, OR 97440 Can lion Imagine? Imagine Hair Artists brings Slieri, David, Sage a Camille anil waxing lij Karen 431 1717 Formerly from Creative Id 20% off V visit Please join AmeriCoprs at the Fall Career Fair on Wednesday, November 6, 2002. As an AmeriCorps member, you will have the chance to tutor and guide youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run after-school programs, or help communities respond to disasters! Measure would raise basic wage Under Measure 25 Job loss would not Increase, but farmers could lose money Oregon votes 2002 Talia M. Wilson Freelance Reporter While some measures on the Nov. 5 ballot threaten to take away money from Oregonians, one promises to put it back in their pockets. Measure 25 would increase the minimum wage from #6.50 to #6.90 per hour, and would mandate annual increases for inflation based on the consumer price index. A few student jobs on campus may be lost because of the minimum wage increase, but organizations will quickly recover, Career Center Di rector Larry Smith said. The number of work-study jobs should not decrease; however, the number of hours students will be al lowed to work most likely will, espe cially for jobs receiving pay higher than minimum wage, Smith added. Under current law, minimum wage is not adjusted for inflation. The last wage increase Oregonians saw was in 1999 as part of a three-step increase approved in 1996, which brought the minimum wage to the current level. “Oregon has the lowest minimum wage on the West Coast,” state Rep. Diane Rosenbaum said. “It’s time to do something.” In addition to the 2003 wage in crease, Measure 25 would require minimum wage to be adjusted for in flation in following years. These ad justments would be calculated by the Commissioner of the Bureau of La bor and Industries, rounded to the nearest five cents, and would replace the previous year’s wage on Jan. 1. “We are long overdue for this,” Rosenbaum said. “Oregon has the highest rate of hunger, and one in seven children live in poverty. Mea sure 25 would put money in the pockets of those living in poverty.” One myth about the effects of Mea sure 25, Rosenbaum added, is unem ployment. “Raising the minimum wage does not cause job loss,” she said. “When the last increase was approved in 1996, the number of jobs increased by three percent.” But some Oregonians feel Measure 25 would harm the rural economy. “This is a feel-good issue,” Oregon Farm Bureau Federation Communi cations Director Gary Claus said. “But Measure 25 would make the ru ral economy worse than the urban economy.” Employees’ wages in rural areas would be adjusted to Portland’s rate of pay, regardless of their area’s eco nomic status, Claus said. “Wages are being raised according to the urban consumer price index,” he said. “But the cost of living in rural areas is much less than urban areas. This measure would be very tough on the rural communities.” Agriculture also would feel the neg ative effects of Measure 25, he added. “Farmers will lose money under this law,” Claus said, “especially with falling produce prices and having to pay their workers more. Unfortu nately, farmers cannot pass along this increase to consumers.” Talia M. Wilson is a freelance writer for the Emerald. Celebration continued from page 1A dead. ” The pictures reminded families of their angelitos and helped them realize that even though their children were dead, a spiritual link would remain. ‘‘To have a little angel in Mexico is sad,” Morales said. “But at the same time, it’s a priv ilege because it’s a connection between heav en and earth.” The collection contains approximately 40 photographs. Torres said this Ls the first time the pictures have been displayed outside Mexi co. Mauiricio Vazquez, the keynote speaker for Saturday’s event, will discuss the history and significance of the photographs, as well as the traditions and background of the celebration. Morales said the Day of the Dead is a sig nificant holiday in Mexican culture because it is an opportunity for children to learn about death. In Mexico, death is not a source of fear for people, but rather is ac cepted as a natural occurrence that should be a source of celebration. During Dta de los Muertos, there are parties in the Mexican marketplaces where children can learn to accept death instead of fearing it. Children get little skulls made out of sugar, as well as toys and masks depicting skeletons and other symbols of death. Death should be celebrated in a joyous way, Morales said. People can’t ignore death, even if they’re afraid of it. “We come from the earth and we’re going to return to the earth,” Morales said. “You can’t stop the cycle.” Contact the reporter atjenniferbear@dailyemerald.com. Mark McCambridge Emerald Sonya Villasenor and Leonardo Ochoa make adjustments to the main displayfor the Dfa de los Muertos celebration. Today's crossword solution 015192 Your vote counts! Remember to turn in your ballots by November 5th at 8:00 pm You can turn your ballot into the white ballot box inside of the EMU on the ground floor (next to the ASUO offices). For more information on some ballot measures that affect you, please attend a Ballot Measure Presentation on Monday at 2 pm in the Umpqua room and at 6 pm in the Rogue room, both in the EMU. Virtual Office Systems, Inc. mputers In Partnership with UO Bookstore! 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