“Employers for which twenty-five (25) or more Employees perform work for compensation during any particular calendar week shall pay Employees no less than the Minimum Wage set forth in this Chapter [$12] for each hour worked within the geographic boundaries of the City during that week.”

Thus stateth section 123, subsection 4, paragraph A of the proposed Eureka Fair Wage Act which, if somehow adopted, would require larger employers within city limits to pony up more dough. (The full, lengthy text of the initiative can be read at fairwages.org.) For the past half year, local activists -- led by Occupy Eureka agitators Kim “Verbena” Starr and James Decker -- have been gathering signatures, organizing idea-sharing events and generally making a ruckus in an attempt to raise awareness of their latest playing field-leveling attempt. The group hopes to raise enough support to one day see its efforts on local ballots, although that would be up to Eureka's City Council.

But, of course, even stickin’ it to the man can hit you in the pocketbook. (I mean, did you know that the minimum wage in California is $8 an hour? My God!) So, if you'd like to put your (presumably limited) funds toward helping the cause, the Fair Wage warriors are staging a benefit concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, at the Arcata Veteran's Memorial Building. Local honky tonk heroes Rooster McClintock have been chosen to provide danceable sounds for the everyman while Mad River Brewing and Six Rivers Brewery will provide the workers’ beverage.

How much of your extremely hard earned cash are they requesting to fight for your right? You guessed it. Tickets are priced at what benefit organizers believe an hour of work should be worth in Eureka at minimum, $12.