GOP joins symbolic vote on minimum wage

AP on Yahoo ^ | 7/12/06 | Jim Abrams - ap

[Mrs. Shawnlaw]

A few months ago here in E MO the union thugs, er, visitors from Michigan were casing the strip malls with local folk to get petition signers to put it on the ballot. I knew they were from MI because they were very bold in wearing their jackets announcing so.
I signed because I want to get a chance to vote no. Most businesses pay more than minimum anyway except in rural entry level or service industries.

[discostu]

Except many hourly workers have their pay built around minimum wage. So all of them would also get raises. Figure probably over half of all hourly workers are effected by minimum wage, even if their hourly rate is nowhere near.

[Old_Mil]

Union thugs will love this!

Very few union workers make minimum wage.

[Republican Wildcat]

I meant raise it to $6, not by $6...I worded that awkwardly.

[discostu]

But many of them have their salary built around minimum wage. If the step chart says your job should pay 6 times minimum wage and the minimum wage goes up $2 you just added over 20 grand to your salary.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

Cashiers I know of work for slightly more than minimum wage, around 6-7 dollars an hour.

[durasell]

Consider that these pols are voting on the issue for fun. They voting on it because the "folks back home" want them to vote for it.

[mc6809e]

The only realistic political way out of the minimum wage mess is to replace it with a government subsidy.

If "the people" want minimum wage workers to be paid more, then they shouldn't force that responsibility on the small group of citizens that employ these low-skill workers. They should help pay it themselves.

I could see such a program even merging itself into the "workfare" system. These subsidized, low-skill jobs could be filled by those that would otherwise be on government assistance.

Ideally we shouldn't a minimum wage or subsidies, but politically we don't have a choice.

The subsidy route is better than the forced unemployment/public assistance route.

[RetiredSWO]

Actually burger flippers are making $8 / hr in FL.

[Chode]

don't these puttheads know that a raise in minwage, is ALSO a raise to UNION wages that are based on a multiple of the MINWAGE???

or do they...

[dfwgator]

Union contracts are pegged to the Minimum Wage, that's why they push so hard for an increase.

[RetiredSWO]

Trouble is the typical voter is too stupid to understand the economics.
When they raised the minimum wage to $7/hr here in FL no one would work
for less than $8/hr. Put it on the ballot and 70% will fall for it.
Of course, they'll have the poor knocked-up teen complaining that she
can't support both her children on minimum wage -- meanwhile the cost of
Pampers, formula, etc. increases more than the pay raise.

[speekinout]

The mentally handicapped who do jobs like organizing supermarket carts, loading groceries into cars, and cleaning cafeteria tables make minimum wage here.
Those jobs are less available when the minimum wage goes up. Unless, of course, the taxpayers subsidize the wages.

[jrushing]

But Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said it was "appalling" that lawmakers were poised to give themselves a $3,300 raise this year,
"yet continue to ignore the most vulnerable workers in our society."

He said that since the last minimum wage increase congressional pay has gone up more than $31,000, to $165,200.

If Big Red Ted is so appalled, then he should give his back. Let him "invest" in the most "vulnerable" of society.

Did he write a check?