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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Bernalillo County Gets a Raise!
From NM ACORN: The Bernalillo County Commission (NM) passed a new minimum wage law last night that will raise wages almost immediately for thousands of workers.
"It's been a long, hard struggle," said ACORN leader Mike Taylor, "But that's how it is with important victories. We and all of our union brothers and sisters and allies were not going to go away until we passed this thing."
Thanks to Commission Chair Alan Armijo for carrying the legislation and Commissioners Teresa Cordova and Deanna Archuletta for supporting the increase, which will take effect January 13, 2007 with a wage of $6.75. Commissioners Brasher and Cummins were not present.
The new law will mirror the City of Albuquerque's, which was passed last spring and will take effect January 1. The law allows no exceptions or exemptions for small businesses or teenagers. The raise will increase to $7.15 in 2008 and $7.50 in 2009. For more information, contact Matthew Henderson at nmacorn@acorn.org.
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More on this story: According to an Albuquerque Journal article, Bernalillo County is the lone county in the United States that has passed its own minimum wage law:
Bernalillo County is moving into rare company ... The bill makes Bernalillo County the first county in New Mexico to have a wage law and one of the few counties in the country to have one, several local officials said.
... Bernalillo County officials said they know of no other county in the United States that has its own minimum-wage law, though San Francisco, a combined city-county government, has one.
ACORN, AFSCME, Governor Bill Richardson and others will be working hard to get a raise in the minimum wage passed statewide when the NM Legislature convenes in mid-January 2007. An amended minimum wage bill stalled at the last minute in the NM Senate at the 2006 Legislature after being passed in the House. The current federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour and hasn't seen an increase in ten years.
Incoming Speaker of the U.S. House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, has promised to introduce a bill to raise the federal minimum wage in the first 100 hours of the new Congress that convenes in January.
December 13, 2006 at 09:08 AM in Labor | Permalink
Comments
Thank you to all who participated and Terry Riley for reminding us how important this is.
Posted by: suz | Dec 13, 2006 10:15:25 AM
I disagree completely with the initiative to raise the minimum wage by the state of New Mexico. Obviously, I feel the same way about the bill in Bernalillo county.
New Mexico is one of the poorest states in the country. There is not an industry in the state which doesn't feel the impact of globalization. An increase in minimum wage is most difficult to bare for the small business owners. A multinational corporation is more likely to be able to absorb the cost.
The minimum wage issue has generally been portrayed as an issue to benefit the lower class; however, if it eventually destroys small businesses already threatened by the global market, then its only effect will be to reduce small business owners to the lower class. If the goal of this initiative is to reduce small businesses owners in the state down to the lower class, then by all means pursue the issue statewide. But if you really want to help the lower class, then look at the economic problem in this country more comprehensively and stop focusing on an issue obviously designed for its symbolic popularity.
Posted by: Buck Glanz | Dec 13, 2006 1:59:02 PM
Gee Buck,
I wonder how many times the minimum you earn. See, if the minimum had a cola, wages would not be so grossly out of proportion now. The longer you wait to correct an inequity, the more painful. NINE years worth of pain.
Time to suck it up.
The issue has become a juggernaut.
Posted by: qofdisks | Dec 13, 2006 3:41:09 PM
Well Buck, I believe that you are misinformed. The cities and states that have already enacted increases in the minimum wage are experiencing economic growth.
Subjugating people of the lowest economic level is never a good foundation for any community, be it a city, county, state or nation. Many countries have tried and the people in those countries have risen up and taken over the richeous rich.
I am guessing that you may have been one of those who told Democrats to get over it when the voting machines stole the 2000 and 2004 elections. Our turn! Get over it! The minimum wage is going up and the lowest paid among us will better support their children. This is a good thing in my mind.
Terry Riley
Posted by: Terry Riley | Dec 13, 2006 3:42:42 PM
So people working for minimum wage are getting a modest increase, and we have people whining about it. Well Buck, get over it and get used to it, BTW this is just the beginning of looking at the economic problem's in this country and hopefully reversing some of the inequities.
Posted by: VP | Dec 13, 2006 5:08:20 PM
Buck's comments show just how much education still needs to be done.
Buck, before you post again, for your penance review the findings in
Fox, Liana (2006, October 25). Minimum wage trends: understanding past and contemporary research.
Retrieved November 24, 2006, from Economic Policy Institute Web site: https://www.epi.org/content.cfm/bp178
Posted by: suz | Dec 13, 2006 6:58:19 PM
All I can say is, it's about time!
Posted by: | Dec 13, 2006 8:21:36 PM
Mr. Glanz is just repeating the Republican talking points on minimum wage raises. It has been shown over and over that they often improve economic conditions for everyone because more money is flowing through the economy and more people can afford to buy things beyond the necessities. And they certainly don't harm things economically.
Remember all the dire predictions the right made about the wage raise in Santa Fe? None of it has come true but people like Glanz keep reciting their warnings anyway. Start using facts!
Posted by: Old Dem | Dec 14, 2006 9:23:28 AM
The Fox article was most informative. It is now clear you are arguing that there is a blanket solution for a national problem. I suggest you read the references in the Fox article. Then compare the states mentioned, where minimum wage raises were applied, with the state of New Mexico: pay close attention to the level of economic development existing in the state before the wage raise. I think you will find New Mexico is a distinctly different case and your blanket solution will not apply.
The truly sad thing about the liberal movement in this country is its inability to accept viewpoints counter to its own as equally valid.
Posted by: Geoff Nordlum | Dec 14, 2006 12:20:05 PM
So Geoff, how do you account for the fact that it has never been documented that raises in the minimum wage damage business? Contrary to what you say, Democrats often criticize their own and Democratic positions, as you can see from this blog. Try finding some of that on Mario Burgos' blog for instance.
A decent minimum wage is hardly "liberal" position anyway. Go back and study history. There was much support for the minimum wage on the Republican side before the pseudo-conservatives came to power in the GOP.
Posted by: Old Dem | Dec 14, 2006 12:25:49 PM
"The truly sad thing about the liberal movement in this country is its inability to accept viewpoints counter to its own as equally valid. Oh Geoff, what comedy club are you performing at next, your quite the comedian? After 6 years of the Bu$h Admin and Republican controlled Congress excluding Democrats (Liberals as they like to say) from almost every major Legislative and Executive branch decision, you come in here and claim that "Liberals" have an "inability to accept viewpoints counter to its own", way too funny Geoff.
Posted by: VP | Dec 14, 2006 5:22:05 PM
