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Thanks to the intervention of COPS / Metro Alliance leaders that stood with San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD)'s lowest paid workers and the San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel, the SAISD Board unanimously approved a wage increase of 20% for the district's lowest paid , from $10/hour to $12/hour.

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On Thursday September 10th, at the urging of COPS / Metro Alliance, San Antonio city council members unanimously voted for a living wage increase from $11.47 to $13.00 per hour, benefiting 1,300 of their lowest paid workers. By doing so, the municipality joined Bexar County in their living wage increase. Just ten days prior, Bexar county commissioners voted to increase their lowest wage to $13 / hour.

While this concludes a drama-filled and yearlong saga -- which also resulted in raised wages for workers at Alamo Colleges -- COPS / Metro leaders are not planning to rest long. Their long-term wage strategy includes a push to increase municipal wages to $14 / hour in fiscal year 2017 and $15 / hour the year after. They are furthermore setting their sights on wages paid by public schools and hospital districts.

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Days before the San Antonio mayoral election runoff, church and state united to urge voters to the polls and while there, to remember that San Antonians need a living wage. COPS / Metro leaders and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, with Commissioners Tommy Calvert and Paul Elizondo, held a joint press conference announcing that the County would do their part to increase wages, and that the City should as well. Councilmembers Shirley Gonzalez and Rey Saldana showed up in support.

In the lead up to this election, leaders held an accountability session with Mayoral candidates, asking for their support on matching the County wage hike (to $13 / hour this year and $15 / hour in two ) and increasing investment in long-term workforce development.

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According to Gloria Mora of COPS / Metro Alliance, "it is unacceptable that in a city where the unemployment rate is only 4.7%, a full 20 percent of our residents live under the federal poverty line." With that statement, COPS / Metro announced a general assembly to address the need for a San Antonio living wage. In that assembly, leaders aim to confront Bexar County Commissioners and San Antonio mayoral candidates to address financial issues impacting families including wages, wage theft and predatory lending.

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Arguing that "the scope and price tag of this particular deal make it different than other day-to-day decisions," COPS / Metro Alliance leaders descended on City Hall to protest the speed and nature of the proposed $3.4 Billion contract that would pipe in 16 billion gallons of water into the city, and raise prices by 16%.

Specifically leaders asked for attentiveness to the pricing scheme for lower income utility users. "With those big rate increases we think those at the bottom of the income scale should be helped," said COPS METRO Alliance leader Mike Phillips. "If somebody were to go of out their tier they would immediately be hit with the first level tier payments. We want to see the payment tiers reworked."

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COPS / Metro Alliance leaders visually illustrated the implications of a new City rule with a gagged leader standing on the steps of City Hall. Rosa Araujo-Iracheta of St. Philip of Jesus Catholic Church detailed what the new rules would entail, exclaiming "For some agencies, this blackout period has been in effect since March...That's over five months of being shut out!"

A new San Antonio city rule prohibiting non-profits from talking to City Councilmembers about the budget prompted the press conference. Leaders pointed out that the new rule amounted to a gag order, as it applied even to nonprofits not requesting City funds for themselves.

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