ABQ Wage Hike Proposal Already Getting Flack

Even though Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich introduced a bill merely to put a hike in the minimum wage on the ballot during the mayoral election this Fall, the proposal is already getting significant negative reaction. I mean, this isn't a bill to raise the miniumum wage or ensure a Living Wage in Albuquerque -- it just puts a minimum wage proposal before the voters. If approved by voters, the minimum wage in Albuquerque would rise from $5.15 to $7.15 an hour and exempt employers with fewer than 10 employees.

From this morning's Albuquerque Journal:

Brad Winter:  Said he had cold feet but will want to hear the debate and public comment as the legislation progresses. "I think it's a federal issue and we should not be dealing with it on a local level."

Michael Cadigan: Said he favors an increase in the minimum wage but it should be handled by Congress, not on a local level. He said he's inclined to vote against putting the issue on the ballot.

Craig Loy: Said the city should not establish a local minimum wage. "One of my pursuits has been to increase wages in Albuquerque, but you can't do that by mandate. You let the market do it."

Tim Cummins has already made derogatory statements about the proposal. Eric Griego was out of town during yesterday's City Council meeting but supports the proposal. Council Vice President Miguel Gómez voiced support for the bill, while Councilor Debbie O'Malley said it's an issue worth looking at. Mayor Chavez has said it's a federal matter.

Perhaps the most hypocritical comment about the wage bill was made by my very own City Councilor, Sally Mayer, as reported in the Albuquerque Tribune:

"Making it a public referendum is ridiculous," said District 7 Councilor Mayer, who is writing her own bill that would ask Congress to re-examine the federal minimum wage. "It's the closest thing to paying people to vote."

She ought to know about such things, given her rumored close relationships with corporate development firms and her very positive voting record on any and all development, regardless of what it will to do to the community. Does that mean she supports corporations paying councilors to vote? It does beg the question, doesn't it?

Since the federal minimum wage hasn't risen since 1997, it seems highly cynical for these folks, particularly the Democrats, to say we must depend on the Congress to raise wages. As for "the market" taking care of it, I haven't seen any evidence of that. Housing, energy, healthcare and other costs continue to escalate while middle and working class wages stagnate. As jobs are increasingly sent overseas to China and Thirld World countries, it seems obvious the "market" is experiencing a race to the bottom in terms of wages.

The Economic Policy Institute has a wealth of information about the minimum wage, including Congressional testimony that demonstrates raises in its rates do not hurt small businesses. Of course Republicans and some Democrats continue to insist that it does, despite proof to the contrary. I think they should be required to provide some documentation for this much ballyhooed excuse. More than 100 cities and towns across America, including Santa Fe, have instituted some form of Living Wage in their communities. Why not Albuquerque?

If you agree, get involved. Check out Albuquerque Living Wage.org or Albuquerque ACORN.

This Thursday's DFA-DFNM Meetup will feature a presentation by Matt Henderson of ACORN on their Living Wage Project. If members agree, DFNM plans to make the Living Wage effort an important focus of our activism in the coming months.

The "Albuquerque Fair Wage Initiative" is scheduled to be voted upon by the Albuquerque City Council on May 16. Click to on this issue.

By the way, the Democratic Party of New Mexico officially supports legislation to achieve a Living Wage for all in the state, according to the Living Wage Resolution that passed unanimously at this month's State Central Committe meeting of the DPNM. If only our Democratic elected officials would take note.