A Metro councilmember wants Nashville to have a living wage law.  The City Paper reports that Megan Barry plans to propose a law later this year.  Supporters of the living wage movement say it lifts workers out of poverty.  Opponents say it costs too much and drives business away. 
The living wage has been an issue at Vanderbilt University. The video above shows a campus protest.  A Vanderbilt professor who studied the issue says the living wage in Nashville should be $10.35 an hour.  Contrast that with the Federal Minimum wage  which stands at $6.55 an hour and goes up to $7.25 next July. 
The living wage issue hit the front burner this month after the state legislature tried and failed to pass a law barring local governments from creating their own living wage laws.
At least 100 local governments across the country now have such laws.  Most target government workers and businesses with government contracts.  In Los Angeles, the living wage starts at $10 an hour.  In Baltimore it's $11.30 an hour. 
These laws get mixed reviews.  A study from the Brookings Institute says a living wage can increase the earnings of some workers, but cannot have a large impact on poverty.  It can raise awareness and build support for more powerful policies.   At the University of California, Berkeley researchers say there's no overall job loss, and additional costs to employers are negligible.