Griego Challenges ABQ Chamber of Commerce to Debate on Living Wage

Albuquerque Mayoral Candidate Eric Griego has challenged the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce to a public debate on the living wage ballot intiative voters will consider in the October 4th municipal election. Griego is the only candidate for mayor who supports the measure. Click to read his letter to the Chamber's, Terri Cole.

The Chamber and other parties opposed to raising the minimum wage in Albuquerque have created a front group called "The Coalition to Expose Ballot Deception."  I received a mailer from them this weekend that was full of lies and half-truths, and a similar full page ad appeared today on the back page of the Albuquerque Journal's Business Outlook section.

Apparently unwilling or unable to counter the merits of a raised minimum wage, the Chamber and its cohorts have decided to attack a provision that would allow information on the rules to be discussed with employees on sidewalks and other public areas of businesses. Among a string of deceptions, they wrongly claim the measure would allow "complete strangers to enter your child's school," and that a clause "allows protestors and organizers to invade private property, badger customers and bring business to a complete standstill." Talk about using inaccurate, lower than low scare tactics. I think it's shameful, not to mention desperate.

Here's Matthew Henderson's response to the Chamber's deceptions, as published in the Alibi:

Matthew Henderson, head organizer for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which is spearheading the drive for a living wage here, said the language used in the ordinance already exists in National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) case law. "There's nothing to stop you from saying to a cashier, ’Hey, I hope you're earning more than $5.15 an hour. Do you know what the new minimum wage is?'" On the other hand, Henderson said, "An employer has the right to kick you off their property if you're disrupting their business. This ordinance doesn't change any of that."