GOP hits Pelosi's 'hypocrisy' on wage bill

WASH TIMES ^ | 1/12/07 | CHARLES HURT

[for-q-clinton]

So the high school kids across the country get a big raise so they can afford to party more on weekends, but the men raising families in America Somoa don't get a raise so they can put milk on the table.

Surely this must be a mistake. The democRATs would never do such a thing.

[mvpel]

Hey Joe 6-Pack - these guys must be models for the Samoan petite clothing lines. :D

[penelopesire]

Great info!!

[TheKidster]

Probably

[Always Independent]

Hopefully, the senate republicans will take issue with it.

[Caleb1411]

"I am shocked," said Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican and his party's chief deputy whip, noting that Mrs. Pelosi campaigned heavily on promises of honest government. "Now we find out that she is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage. This is exactly the hypocrisy and double talk that we have come to expect from the Democrats."

Hard to believe he's really shocked (the guy's in Congress, for heaven's sake), but the quote makes great copy.

[conservative in nyc]

American Samoa does have a federally mandated minimum wage, which varies by industry. The minimum wage in the tuna canneries is $3.26 per hour. The minimum wage in other industries ranges from $2.68 per hour (garment industry) to 4.09 per hour (maritime). The minimum wage rates are reviewed about every two years by a wage board.

Pelosi's hypocrisy notwithstanding, raising the minimum wage for the tuna canneries would likely cause the canneries to close. They simply wouldn't be able to compete with canneries in places like Thailand and Ecuador, where workers are already paid less than a dollar per hour. And as I understand it, American Samoa doesn't have much industry besides the canneries.

Note that American Samoa has a Democrat nonvoting House delegate. The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, whose minimum wage was raised to the federal rate, doesn't have a House delegate at all (it elects a Resident Representative, who is little more than a Washington lobbyist) but is a nominally Republican area. Jack Abramoff did a lot of lobbying for the CNMI.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

This is a post from the DU in defense of Pelosi.

Thread here entitled "I've got a wingnut on my a*s, need help":

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3107081

Pay particular attention to the 2nd paragraph. This DUmmie, in posting the comment from Faleomavaega (American Samoa delegate), is proving the Republican point that increasing the minimum wage will result in a LOSS of jobs, NOT a "trickle-up" effect as Pelosi has stated..of course, they'll never see it or admit to it..

Bornaginhooligan Donating Member (1000+ posts)Fri Jan-12-07 02:02 PM
Response to Original message
7. Hmm

"In a statement in response today, Faleomavaega (American Samoa delegate) said "despite recent claims made by the Washington Post which suggest that American Samoa is exempt from the federal minimum wage process, I wish to set the record straight."
He says since 1956, the Wage and Hour Division of the US Department of Labor has conducted Special Industry Committees every two years in American Samoa to determine minimum wage increases.

"While these Industry Committees have been phased out in other US Territories due to their more diversified economies, American Samoa continues to be a single industry economy. In fact, more than 80% of our private sector economy is dependent either directly, or indirectly, on two U.S. tuna processors, Chicken of the Sea and StarKist. As has been repeatedly stated at our Special Industry Committees, a decrease in production or departure of one or both of the two canneries in American Samoa could devastate the local economy resulting in massive layoffs and insurmountable financial difficulties," the Congressman says.

"For this very reason, I do not support efforts to apply mainland minimums to American Samoa at this time. The truth is the global tuna industry is so competitive that it is no longer possible for the federal government to demand mainland minimum wage rates for American Samoa without causing the collapse of our economy and making us welfare wards of the federal government."

http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2007/01/11/america-...

[weegee]

Are they owned by Tyson Chicken? Shades of Bubba.

[WatchingInAmazement]

The Marianas has been the subject of much lobbying.

Abramoff's Interior link gets 2 years probation
Jan 9, 2007

Stillwell, a former desk officer for the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas - a lucrative Abramoff client - acknowledged receiving four tickets to a Redskins football game and two tickets to a Simon and Garfunkle concert in Washington - all paid for by Abramoff - which Stillwell did not report

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands was important to Abramoff who was hired to lobby Congress to keep open an important trade exemption. That exemption allowed garment makers there to put "Made in the U.S.A." labels in their clothing. Human rights groups argue this has fostered an exploitive working environment in the commonwealth's booming garment industry.

A former aide to Tom DeLay pleaded guilty to conspiracy and corruption charges involving the Marianas. While working in the Delay's leadership office, Tony Rudy helped Abramoff with one of his Marianas clients. According to an internal audit by Commonwealth authorities, the Marianas paid Abramoff more than $7 million in lobbying fees from 1996 to 2001. Rudy's plea agreement did not implicate DeLay in any illegal activities. Rudy has yet to be sentenced.

Stillwell told Mother Jones magazine last year that he was "in awe" of Abramoff's ability to kill a House bill back in 2000 that would have imposed federal immigration policy on the CNMI, one of his most lucrative of his lobbying clients. Abramoff "stopped it dead," said Stillwell. "It could not have been an easy job." (snip)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16541877/

[conservative in nyc]

Ping.

There's no question that increasing the minimum wage causes job losses and/or higher prices. That most DUmmies don't see that isn't surprising.

The CNMI could make the same argument about how increasing the minimum wage there will kill what is left of the garment industry there, and harm tourism, which has been hurting there recently, too. But they don't have a Democrat delegate in Congress to make that case to Pelosi.

[Sunsong]

Pelosi has now said that she wants the exemption taken off. In other words - she is going to ruin Samoa's main business!

[GeorgiaDawg32]

source?

[Sunsong]

Fox

[GeorgiaDawg32]

impossible..she swore a rise in the minimum wage would produce a trickle-up effect in the economy..Samoa will be rolling in cash before long..(sarc/off)

[Sunsong]

impossible..she swore a rise in the minimum wage would produce a trickle-up effect in the economy..Samoa will be rolling in cash before long..(sarc/off)

It is sad, really that Pelosi decided to stick it Samoa rather than exempt all business that would be harmed by this tryanical bill!

[GeorgiaDawg32]

I guess she figures it's better to pi*s off a few thousand DEMOCRAT Samoans than risk MILLIONS of Dem voters stateside..

She caved to the pressure I guess never figuring this would be found out..

[conservative in nyc]

Pelosi has now said that she wants the exemption taken off. In other words - she is going to ruin Samoa's main business!

As a new bill or in the conference committee? It will be interesting to see any floor debate on this - finally, the argument that raising the minimum wage causes lost jobs will be crystal clear, especially if the canneries make a specific threat to close if the minimum wage is doubled.

[Sunsong]

As a new bill or in the conference committee? It will be interesting to see any floor debate on this - finally, the argument that raising the minimum wage causes lost jobs will be crystal clear, especially if the canneries make a specific threat to close if the minimum wage is doubled.

It was just a quick clip with Brian Wilson on Fox so no details on how. It looks more like Pelosi is willing to destroy Samoa's tuna business than have a real debate on the effects of raising the minimum rage.

Perhaps a GOP Senator or two - could take a cue from this and force a debate in the Senate?

[GeorgiaDawg32]

see my post 75..