Latest on Bernalillo County Minimum Wage Hike Bill

From Terry Riley:
We almost made a terrible mistake! We missed an important political action, one that affects us all. We missed the Bernalillo County Commission meeting where they were going to vote on raising the minimum wage.

We all put a lot of time and energy into the election and a whole lot of people put a lot of energy into the counting of the absentee ballots by hand. It is unfortunate but just because we put a lot of time and energy into one direction we really need to be ready to work on others. I am referring to a very important County Commission meeting that was held this Tuesday evening. 

The minimum wage issue was to be voted on last night. I rushed down but I had planned poorly and was not in time to sign up to speak. There were about 20 people from ACORN. Some of the people who got up and spoke were prime examples of how terrible our low minimum wage is. The County Commission put off the vote until the December 12th meeting. This is very fortunate because there were nowhere near enough present to convince any councilors to support the issue if they were not already convinced that it is the right thing to do.

Political action requires that people stand up when the item of interest is being voted on. It looks to the councilors that only a very few people in Bernalillo County support raising the minimum wage. I really hope that there is a lot of support for it. 

We know that there are going to be minimum wage bills in the state legislature and in Congress this year. That is not a reason to just wait. There are a lot of times that legislators introduce a bill that they intend to not pass. They want to look good to the voters but they are only playing with us. 

If we push for and get an increase in the county we will have a better chance of getting it approved in the state. If a few more states pass minimum wage increases the Congress will consider passing a national minimum wage increase. We have to do what we can locally so that we can effect the national agenda.

Please make plans now to come to the Bernalillo County Commissioners meeting on December 12th.  If you can make it by 4:30 PM you can sign up to speak.  A well crafted short comment can turn the tide.  Please help make Bernalillo County a better place to live, a place where you have a better chance of making a living even if you are paid minimum wage. --Submitted by Terry Riley

Editor's Note: Today's Albuquerque Journal reported that three of the five Bernalillo County Commissioners have expressed support for the minimum wage bill:

In interviews Tuesday, commissioners Deanna Archuleta and Teresa Córdova said they expect to join Commission Chairman Alan Armijo in supporting the wage increase. Armijo is sponsoring the proposal.

"It's good for the community, and it's good to have consistency," Archuleta said. Commissioners Michael Brasher and Tim Cummins are expected to vote "no."

For contact information for the Bernalillo County Commissioners, . You're urged to contact your Commissioner and express support for the bill and then attend the Commission Meeting on December 12th to testify on its behalf.