Discord threatens minimum wage hike

[Judi Lynn]

Discord threatens minimum wage hike

Hank Shaw
Capitol Bureau Chief
Published Thursday, Mar 30, 2006

SACRAMENTO - Democrats and their union allies began a high-stakes game Wednesday to increase California's minimum wage automatically every year, at the same time spurning a more moderate proposal to boost it by $1 an hour.

About 1.4 million Californians earn the state minimum of $6.75 an hour or less - including people in nearly 24,000 San Joaquin County households, according to 2004 census estimates.

But many labor contracts are linked to the state's minimum wage, so an increase also could boost the pay of thousands of middle-class union members.

The state's minimum wage has not been increased in four years, so Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in his January State of the State speech pledged to increase it by $1 an hour.

That's not good enough for many Democrats, who want that increase plus automatic future raises based on the rate of inflation. Washington and Oregon do this as will Nevada if an initiative on its fall ballot succeeds.
(snip/...)

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060330/NEWS01/603300326/1001

[rpannier]

1. I'd vote for the increase

and battle for the automatic increase later. California is a very expensive state to live in. Those people need that money now.

[justice1]

2. It's a good idea.

[salin]

3. Having lived in the Bay Area...

I know that one earning $6.75 would have to work multiple jobs just to pay rent and eat food. I would venture to guess that there are not many places in the state where one could make ends meat on $6.75 without working at least two jobs.

[electricray]

4. The union is being responsible here but the media is going to make them

look bad as always. It is difficult to live on $6.75 per hour anywhere but it only marginally "easier" to get by on $7.75 per hour. Most of these jobs don't come with benefits of any kind either so a minimum wage law tied to inflation coupled with a minimum benefits law tied to corporate profitability would really be the ideal situation. The union movement has always fought to preserve present and future worker conditions. The funny thing is if someone goes broke and can't pay their bills, the cons like to say they should have prepared better, but when the union attempts to do that preperation they are demonized.

[M155Y_A1CH]

5. Let 'em leave/Buy made in USA

If the corporations won't trickle down the tax incentives they receive, we must force them.

Higher minimum wage means more money will stay here in the U.S.
Minimum wage workers are not outsourcing our labor money directly as are the corporations.
They will spend it here, hopefully on American made goods, and have more of it to spend.

The corporations have been given too many incentives as it is, and what have they done?
They sent our hard earned dollars away so that they could personaly profit.
Their China goods are too crappy to buy and doing so hurts our own workers.

Increase minimum wages and buy USA goods and let's put the fix on outsourcers.

If a company wants to go because of the threat that they will have to pay more,
let them, we will start over without them. Our companies are no longer places of economic stability anyway, as they lay-off and outsource.

We all are paying more for everything with no advantage from labor outsourcing. That trend is only lining a few pockets in this country, at the very top. The money they save in China doesn't benefit us all. In fact it benefits so few that we shouldn't concern ourselves with it. There are many entrepreneurs in this country who would quickly take their place if they fled. American company owners are greedy and we perpetuate that by giving high profits for stockholders such importance. Employee job security isn't even a talking point as it no longer exists. It has not made these companies any less likely to outsource even though minimum wage has stayed very low for many years.

The consumer market is flooded with junk slapped together by unskilled workers who have'nt a clue about product safety or quality. Does your coffee cup contain lead? Are there dangerous parts in that happy meal? Will a laborer somewhere die of cancer in the future to produse your household goods today? It's not labor that is cheap overseas, it's human life.

Those abused will be demanding rights very soon as they begin to discover their own power. Then where will the rich corporatists go?

[David__77]

6. Democrats should only approve an indexed minimum wage.

It is preferable to have it on the ballot in November anyway.

[cleofus1]

7. minimum

10 dollars an hour...

[zann725]

8. Just ONE dollar's cost-of-living raise in Min. Wage in FOUR years?!

Even IF it eventually passes, it lags Sooooooo far behind current inflating costs, it is gratuitous at best. Who on earth can live on minimum wage, even WITH a ONE DOLLAR hike? Unless you're a student living at home with mom and dad...NOT paying rent...or unless you're living eight or more people to a one-bedroom apartment, it's unlikely.

That a "possible" raise in Minimum Wage is STILL being discussed as some huge "humanistic" accomplishment/proposal is absurd.

Give the Congress OR Senate or Admin. a ONE DOLLAR/year...every 10 years pay hike, and see how they cope (even at their current pay rates, AND tax breaks)...neither of which the average Minimum Wage earner is privy to.