18 Senators Send Obama Letter Urging Him To Raise Minimum Wage With Executive Order

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Sean Kelly - Opposing Views


http://i.imgur.com/7rsnK9z.jpg

Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, along with 18 others, sent a letter to President Obama this week urging him to use executive action to raise the minimum wage and support the Fight for $15 labor movement. All of the senators are Democrats, except for Sanders, who is a self-proclaimed "Democratic-Socialist."

“Mr. President, the stroke of your pen can have transformative impact for millions of workers,” the letter reads. “As low-wage fast food, retail and federal contract workers continue to strike in growing numbers to 'Fight for $15 and a Union,' we urge you to harness the power of the presidency to help these workers achieve the American Dream."

Other senators who signed the letter include Dick Durbin of Illinois, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ben Cardin of Maryland, and Al Franken of Minnesota.

President Obama has issued executive orders in the recent past that raised wages for workers under federal contracts, including one that set a $10.10 minimum wage. In their letter, the senators called on Obama to “build further on that momentum,” adding that the federal government should “invest our taxpayer dollars to incentivize model employers that commit to creating good jobs and to rebuilding America's ailing middle class."

The Fight for $15 movement is a coalition that began three years ago and has resulted in protests throughout the nation as workers bring light to the issue of low wages. Good Jobs Nation spokesman Paco Fabian said that any Democrat running for President in 2016 should take the letter seriously.

“For the first time a group of U.S. Senators are demonstrating strong support for low wage workers trying to improve their working conditions by proposing a realistic solution,” Fabian said in a statement. “The federal government's role regarding economic inequality is clear. The question is which candidates for President plan to propose common sense solutions? This letter provides part of the answer."

[PorkChopSandwiches]

We DEMAND you end family run businesses

And since when would $15 allow for the american dream :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

You just don't want poor people to get their 'fair share' :hand:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Yeah, thats it. :lol: We have seen what a great success this has been in the places they have forced it. Starbucks can afford it, but pizza shops cant

[deebakes]

way to go california :unimpressed:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

:dance: free taco anyone?

[RBP]

We think of minimum wage all wrong. There is no universal wage, $15 an hour is poverty level in SoCal. But a couple making $30k each in a small town in the south is a good wage and a comfortable living. So I don't get upset with L.A. saying $15. But saying every small town in every state should pay $15 is lunacy.

The numbers are there and easily calculated. Take the lowest cost of living county in the country. Keep the national minimum wage the same there. Recalculate every other county in the nation against that benchmark. In effect you have maintained the same minimum wage but made it equitable.

*drops the mic*

[deebakes]

:fbd:

[RBP]

:fbd:

:shrug:

[deebakes]

i think you're post is just another way that chicago politics can get even more money under the table :x

[RBP]

i think you're post is just another way that chicago politics can get even more money under the table :x

Minneapolis to Chicago is 8%. $10 in Minneapolis would be $10.80 here.

[deebakes]

That's $0.80 per hour for those fat cats :x

[RBP]

:lol: Those fat cats making $10 an hour in Chicago.

[deebakes]

:agreed:

[RBP]

:fbd:

[deebakes]

:idk:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

We think of minimum wage all wrong. There is no universal wage, $15 an hour is poverty level in SoCal. But a couple making $30k each in a small town in the south is a good wage and a comfortable living. So I don't get upset with L.A. saying $15. But saying every small town in every state should pay $15 is lunacy.

The numbers are there and easily calculated. Take the lowest cost of living county in the country. Keep the national minimum wage the same there. Recalculate every other county in the nation against that benchmark. In effect you have maintained the same minimum wage but made it equitable.

*drops the mic*

Why do you hate poor people? :-s

[RBP]

Why do you hate poor people? :-s
:slap:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:dance:

[Muddy]

I think its a good thing.. And for any one that may be threatened by a bag boy making close to what you do for a living.. Just think, now you can get a less stressful job and take home the same money!!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Too bad all the small businesses will have to close because they can't afford to pay their employees. I'm sorry, but an unskilled worker does not deserve to be paid these kinds of wages.

[Muddy]

They would not... :lol: Payroll for minimum wage workers is a pittance.. If an extra $30 a day is too much for them to handle, then they are teetering on the brink of collapse anyway, and maybe they should scale down because they are practicing bad business.. Either that or the owners personal compensation package isnt realistic for the size business they are operating.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Where did you come up with $30/day?

Say you are a small independent pizza/sub shop and you are open daily from 10 AM to 10 PM and that you are already being a good boss and paying your employees at $9/hour which is already above minimum wage. And let's say that when you are open, you have an average of 6 people on staff at your restaurant at any one time, possible more if you are busy, but let's use 6 employees for now, all making $9/hour. Now, you have to give them ALL a $6/hour raise, times those 6 employees is now $36 more per hour than your payroll expense originally was. Multiply that by the 12 hours a day you are open and that's now $432/day more that you are spending on payroll than you were before. And multiply that by 7 days a week and now you are spending $3024 more than you had in payroll before. Not to mention that's only the actual payroll expenses to the employees, that doesn't count SS withholding that the employer has to pay which will go up because everyone's wage went up.

[Muddy]

If you cant pay your employees the going rate then you shouldn't be in business.. Our country has changed... That pizza sure went up in price!! In fact the price of EVERYTHING has gone up.. Sorry, everything except wages.. $7.25 an hour with no incentives just doesn't cut it anymore.. People cant work 24 hours a day.. :2cents:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Really? Pizza has gone up in price? I can still get pizza for the same price I was paying 20 years ago. Maybe that guy should fire his employees, close his pizza shop and that way they can all go on welfare so you and I can pay for them to stay home, that seems to be a MUCH better option.

And maybe you weren't aware but, minimum wage was never meant for people to raise a family on. Maybe if you want better wages, go out and educate yourself or acquire a marketable/usable skill of some kind. Someone washing dishes and busing tables at a pizza place is not worth $15/hour, I'm sorry. And if you are worried about these people working for peanuts, why stop at $15/hour? Let's make the minimum wage $35/hour or $50/hour. Who cares if a pizza and a Coke now costs $90, at least we are paying these unskilled people a wage they 'deserve'.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

We're just going to have to agree to disagree on this one, because it's obvious that we aren't going to change each other's minds :)

[PorkChopSandwiches]

The people who argue on Muddys side all think every business is a super corp and is raking it in at the top, the dont see the issue with small family business

[RBP]

Where did you come up with $30/day?

Say you are a small independent pizza/sub shop and you are open daily from 10 AM to 10 PM and that you are already being a good boss and paying your employees at $9/hour which is already above minimum wage. And let's say that when you are open, you have an average of 6 people on staff at your restaurant at any one time, possible more if you are busy, but let's use 6 employees for now, all making $9/hour. Now, you have to give them ALL a $6/hour raise, times those 6 employees is now $36 more per hour than your payroll expense originally was. Multiply that by the 12 hours a day you are open and that's now $432/day more that you are spending on payroll than you were before. And multiply that by 7 days a week and now you are spending $3024 more than you had in payroll before. Not to mention that's only the actual payroll expenses to the employees, that doesn't count SS withholding that the employer has to pay which will go up because everyone's wage went up.
You forgot to include their supervisors that were making $12 now have to make $18.

I stand by the idea that universal minimums are poor policy.

[Muddy]

Really? Pizza has gone up in price? I can still get pizza for the same price I was paying 20 years ago. Maybe that guy should fire his employees, close his pizza shop and that way they can all go on welfare so you and I can pay for them to stay home, that seems to be a MUCH better option.

And maybe you weren't aware but, minimum wage was never meant for people to raise a family on. Maybe if you want better wages, go out and educate yourself or acquire a marketable/usable skill of some kind. Someone washing dishes and busing tables at a pizza place is not worth $15/hour, I'm sorry. And if you are worried about these people working for peanuts, why stop at $15/hour? Let's make the minimum wage $35/hour or $50/hour. Who cares if a pizza and a Coke now costs $90, at least we are paying these unskilled people a wage they 'deserve'.

I already pay for them if they are making $7.00 an hour with welfare.. It wont affect me at all.. As far as a pizza being $90, I think thats a bit of a stretch.. I will agree to disagree with you though. :)

[Muddy]

The people who argue on Muddys side all think every business is a super corp and is raking it in at the top, the dont see the issue with small family business

I have a small family business.. I have multiple friends with small family businesses.. Nobody makes min wage... :lol:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

I have a small family business.. ?? :lol:

With no employees

[Muddy]

With no employees

We had one for a while but he went to college.. Paying him an extra $5 an hour didnt break us.

[Muddy]

When you dont pay vaca, health benefits, 401k, or any of that stuff.. $5 or $6 bucks an hour more is a pittance... Anybody that tells you otherwise either A. shouldn't be in business or B. Is paying themselves too much.

[RBP]

For the record, I think it needs to be raised.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

We will see what happens, my money is on less low paying jobs and more automation as a result. As well as the smaller mom and pop shops forcing to close or remove all non family help. Especially out here where facility rents are so high

[Muddy]

I think we need more chemical factories and need to loosen the restrictions on where they dump their waste.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

And abolish the EPA, I liked back when I was a kid and it hurt to breath after playing outside all day

[perrhaps]

And abolish the EPA, I liked back when I was a kid and it hurt to breath after playing outside all day

How is that any different than when you're downwind from your Beaner neighbors?

[PorkChopSandwiches]

When you join in the fiesta, you dont notice

[deebakes]

i think it should stay the same :idk: