Wedge Issue For 2006: Minimum Wage Initiatives

By DHinMI

We know we've already got stem cells to use against the Republicans in 2006.  Now, how about pummelling them with the minium wage?

More states are raising their minimum wages, pushing hourly rates above $7 in some and shrinking the role of the federal minimum wage, which hasn't gone up in eight years.

Eleven states have raised their rates since January 2004, and Wisconsin will become the 12th on Wednesday. Employers there must pay at least $5.70 an hour through June 2006, when the minimum wage rises again to $6.50 an hour.

In all, 17 states and the District of Columbia — covering 45% of the U.S. population — have set minimums above the federal rate of $5.15. That has helped cut the number of workers earning the minimum or less (for those earning tips) from 4.8 million in 1997 to 2 million last year, or 2.7% of hourly earners, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says.

About half of minimum-wage earners work at restaurants. Millions more have wages that are influenced by the minimum. Its buying power is at its lowest point since 1949.

Congress last changed the federal minimum wage in 1997. The latest proposal to raise it died in the Senate in March.

“The federal government is not living up to its responsibility, so the states are acting,” says New Jersey state Sen. Steve Sweeney, a Democrat who sponsored a law that will raise the state's minimum...

Polls show that minimum wage increases are popular. In a Pew Research Center Poll in December, 86% supported raising the federal minimum to $6.45.

Liberal activists say they're using the minimum wage to put Republicans on the defensive. They hope to put minimum wage initiatives on the ballots next year in nine states, including Ohio, Michigan and Arizona, says Kristina Wilfore, head of the liberal Ballot Strategy Initiative Center.

“This is going to take off like wildfire,” she says. “It will pull progressive voters to the polls. The way the gay marriage amendment lured conservative voters to the polls (in November) was a wake-up call for us.”

Efforts to raise the minimum wage have had most success in states that voted for 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Florida and Alaska are the only states that voted for President Bush last year to have minimum wages above the federal rate.

 The fact that Bush states haven't raised the minimum wage isn't necessarily an indication that it's not a good issue for Democrats.  It's more likely that Bush states have Republican legislatures and governors disinclined to propose raising the state minimum wage.  That makes it all the more appealing to bypass state legislatures by putting the minimum wage on the ballot wherever there's a chance it could pass; it would seem that Bush states that might pass a minimum wage increase would include Ohio, Missouri, New Mexico, and probably some others.  It would probably contribute to a small but possibly important increase in voter turnout, especially since in most states soft money, such as union dues money, could be used for GOTV efforts ostensibly on behalf of the minimum wage bill in economically depressed areas with high Democratic performance but low voter participation.  It would also, with strong outreach into communities of faith, create some cross-pressures for some churches and denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church, that may be inclined to support Republican-inspired ballot proposals on same-sex marriage bans but that would also be inclined to support efforts toward alleviating poverty.    Furthermore, Democrats running for just about any office in states where such proposals were on the ballot could pledge their support for the proposal, and challenge their opponent to take a public position.  Supporting the proposal would cause them problems with elements of their ideological coalition, but opposing it, as most would do, would provide the Democrat with a great red-meat issue for pounding the Republicans for being out of touch with the pocketbook problems and insecurities of everyday people. 

Lets get those proposals on the ballot wherever we can.

Comments

[mcjoan]

Thank you. I've been saying that for months. What we had to focus on in this session was on defense: 1) killing Bush's Social Security "reform," 2) doing everything in our power to protect the judiciary; and on offense 3) push for a substantial increase in the minimum wage. Pushing it at the state level makes even more sense.

[Kagro X]

In all, 17 states and the District of Columbia — covering 45% of the U.S. population — have set minimums above the federal rate of $5.15. That has helped cut the number of workers earning the minimum or less (for those earning tips) from 4.8 million in 1997 to 2 million last year, or 2.7% of hourly earners, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says.

"The economy is growin'. We're turnin' th' corner. Mah administration has cut the number of workers scrapin' bah on th' minimum wage in half! It's hard work, but we got it done!"

[KdmFromPhila]

I like it. It's time for the Democrats to do more for working people and to be seen as the party that tries to help them.

[Drew]

"Probably some others?" Probably every other. I doubt there's a red state that wouldn't vote itself a wage increase, given that almost 70% of Nevada and Florida supported it in 2004. I wouldn't stop with Ohio, Missouri, and New Mexico; I'd go for Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah, and every other initiative state.

[DHinMI]

Drew: Minimum wage initiatives occassionally fail, usually in places where most people are self-employed or work for small businesses. For instance, I'm not sure minimum wage initiatives would as much of an advantage in states like Montana or South Dakota as they would in Ohio or Arizona.

[Drew]

Huh. I'd like to see that hypothesis tested nevertheless; as would the Montana AFL-CIO, apparently.

[DHinMI]

It will be the second time the hypothesis will have been tested in Montana. In 1995, a minimum wage increase was defeated 57%-43%.

[Drew]

Jesus Christ, fine. I've learned my lesson never to suggest the use of the initiative to raise the minimum wage in any state where there is a non-trivial chance that it might fail.

[emptywheel]

After seeing this link at Drum:

CEOs at California's largest 100 public companies took home a collective $1.1 billion in 2004, up almost 20% from 2003. That compares with the 2.9% raise that the average California worker saw last year, according to the Economic Policy Institute in Washington.

I wonder whether it isn't time to roll out the limits on executive pay. Not a chance they're constitional. But it'd offer a nice opportunity to talk about all the wage issues that are affecting average Americans.

[DHinMI]

There may be a way to do executive pay that could be done at the initiative level. I'll post on that within the next day or two.

[emptywheel]

Do it, DH. I keep saying, we could use a little (no, a lot) class warfare these days. And executive salaries is a quick way to inflame some passion.

[janinsanfran]

Definitely a good idea. In the states where these pass pretty easily (the more urban ones?), a raised minimum wage also becomes a concrete victory to point to. Our base needs those victories, even small ones.