City of Salinas workers protesting “poverty-level” wages at city council meeting

Community and city workers on Tuesday protested low-wages they say are well below market rate. About 50 people showed up outside Salinas City Council chambers, with some voicing their concerns during public comment.

Some protestors tell KION these "poverty-level" wages result in consequences like high turnover and understaffing at many city departments.

Anastasia Deboer, a library clerk at the Salinas Library was one of the protestors and said wage increases would be an investment in the community.

"This directly translates into better quality of city services for the community. So I just want to emphasize that it's not like we're just asking for more money. This is going to result in a net gain for the entire community," Deboer said.

KION also reached out to the City of Salinas for comment, but did not hear back.

While Tuesday's protest isn't directly related to an item in the meeting agenda, those protesting said they will continue to fight for fair market-level wages.