Edwards in Nevada: increase minimum wage to $9.50, index it to half of the average national wage

[draft_mario_cuomo]

==Las Vegas - In keeping with his campaign theme that America is divided between the haves and the have-nots, John Edwards, a former senator from North Carolina and Democratic presidential hopeful, told a Las Vegas gathering that he has a plan that will bring the curtain down on the "two Americas," and part of that plan is increasing the minimum wage.
A candidate best known for his $400 haircuts, Edwards kept the standing-room-only crowd of about 120 waiting over 45 minutes before he entered the room to Sam & Dave's "Soul Man."

"What I want to focus on today is the two Americas, and I want to build one America that works for all of us, not just rich people," Edwards said. The former senator-turned-anti-poverty advocate traded the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas strip to host a town hall rally at the Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 88, located in North Las Vegas, an economically-impoverished portion of the region.
"Raising the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour was not enough. I will make sure that when I am president the minimum wage will be increased to $9.50 an hour by 2010," proclaimed Edwards to an audience of mostly union workers. Edwards also stated that he would tie the minimum wage to an index so the wage would automatically increase, forgoing congressional battles over the issue. The index would be half the average wage.

Edwards' minimum wage plan would also require that temp wages (i.e., wages dependent on tips) be half of the minimum wage. The former senator argued that this is a necessary step if America is going to combat poverty and restore the middle class.==

==Edwards' plan to end poverty, however, did not stop at the minimum wage hike. The Democratic hopeful proclaimed that universal health care was also necessary if America was serious about restoring the middle class.==

Read the rest at http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=18578158&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=6

[Rage for Order]

1. I thought this part was already the case...

"Edwards' minimum wage plan would also require that temp wages (i.e., wages dependent on tips) be half of the minimum wage."

I've worked numerous jobs for tips and my hourly pay was always at least half of the federal minimum wage. However, it's been a few years since I've worked for tips. Has the law changed recently?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

2. Maybe that is only the case in some states?

Good question btw

[w4rma]

3. Index! Perfect! (nt)

[EffieBlack]

4. This is great - he's listening to the right people!

Civil rights groups have been calling for this. The National Urban League first pushed for this in its 2005 State of Black America Report and has been calling for ever since.

"Raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an per hour and tie future increases to an objective standard. The minimum wage must be a living wage, not a poverty wage." National Urban Leage State of Black America Report 2005 http://www.nul.org/PressReleases/2005/2005PR185.html

"The National Urban League calls upon the House and Senate, as their first acts of the 110th Congress, to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour and index it to inflation so that workers never again have to beg politicians to protect their incomes during the economy’s inevitable ups and downs. Raising the Minimum Wage: A Report by the National Urban League Policy Institute January 2007 http://www.nul.org//publications/policyinstitute/reports/Minimum%20Wage%20Report.pdf

Edwards is smart to adopting good ideas from the right places!

[draft_mario_cuomo]

6. Thanks for providing that background info!

:hi:

[calteacherguy]

5. Too high. Needs to be exceptions for youth employment.

Also, the minimum wage needs to be set regionally...I don't think this would be that difficult today based on cost of living. $9.50 in San Francisco is a lot different than $9.50 in some small town in Kansas.

A $9.50 national wage across the board is too high, imo.

[tkmorris]

7. Yeah those poor in Kansas make way too much money

Thanks for pointing this out. And the kids, they should work for free. Be thankful they have a job, little bastards.

[pampango]

8. Living in small town Ohio and having visited San Francisco, New York and other

big urban areas, I would not begrudge youth in those cities having a higher minimum wage than my son does here.

[jsamuel]

9. plus, those cities can raise the minimum wage even higher if they like

[jackbourassa]

10. I think this is a real good idea!

I'm glad someone has brought this up...

I will gladly recommend this thread.

[calteacherguy]

14. Problem is I think $9.50 is too high as a federal mandate...for the reasons I have outlined.

I don't think it $9.50 in today's dollars would pass the Congress, anyway.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. And index Congressional salaries, huh? nt

[draft_mario_cuomo]

12. Huh? nt

[eppur_se_muova]

13. As in "why not suggest that as well"? nt

[draft_mario_cuomo]

15. That sounds good, I was unsure of what you meant nt