A Training for Activists
Quiz: What was the year?
“High hourly wages mean nothing to a
worker if he has no job.”
C.C. Shepard,
Southern States Industrial Council, 1938.
“Any temporary advantage to our two million
employees would be more than offset by
immediate unemployment within our
industry. [A] national minimum wage within
our industry is impractical and dangerous.”
George R. LeSauvage,
National Restaurant Association, 1949.
“The meager net profit return presently
‘enjoyed’ by retailers will leave them
little or no alternative but to pass the
additional costs on the consumers in the
form of higher prices.”
James J. Bliss,
National Retails Merchants Assn., 1965.
“The increased minimum wage is a
disaster to thousands of small husbandwife businesses whose owners are
literally working themselves to death
because they cannot afford the higher
wage scale.”
U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
“Minimum Wage Hike Maximizes
Problems,” Nation’s Business, 1979.
Experiences with minimum wage work
• Introduce yourself to someone you don’t
know
• Share your experiences with minimum
wage work: you, your family or friends,
your community, congregation, etc.
WHO ARE MINIMUM WAGE
WORKERS IN MINNESOTA?
77% are over age 20
Abby Aguirre, New York Times
33% are parents or married
57% are women
77% are white
Yet workers of color would benefit
at higher rates:
1 in 3 Hispanic workers
1 in 5 black workers
1 in 6 Asian workers
1 in 8 white workers
Almost half have some college education
Over 75% are working more
than 20 hours/week
Over 75% are working more than
20 hours/ week
Why raise the minimum wage?
Today’s minimum wage worth less
Cost of living in MN
Source: Economic Policy Institute, 2013.
$14.03
Who benefits from low wages?
THE NEW LOW-WAGE ECONOMY
Top five low-wage industries
Industry
Percent low-wage
1. Food services
57.4
2. Accommodation
40.0
3. Retail trade
36.5
4. Arts, entertainment & recreation 34.2
5. Administrative services
33.2
Source: National Employment Law Project
Low-wage employers are large.
Share of workforce that is low-wage,
by firm size
Source: NELP Analysis of Current Population Survey (2009-2011).
Low-wage employers are profitable.
In 2012, among the 50 largest low-wage employers:
• 92% were profitable in the previous year
• 78% were profitable for the previous 3 years
• 63% are earning higher profits now than before
the recession
Source: NELP, Big Business, Corporate Profits, and the Minimum Wage, July 2012
Low wage work is growing
($7.69 to $13.83)
($21.14 to $54.55)
($13.84 to $21.13)
The result?
We grow
further apart.
What can you do?
THE RAISE THE WAGE CAMPAIGN
During the 2014 Legislative Session,
the Raise the Wage coalition hopes to:
1. Raise the minimum wage to at least
$9.50 per hour by 2015;
2. Index the minimum wage to inflation;
3. Stop tip penalty amendments;
4. Conform our state minimum wage
law to federal standards.
Our Opponents
Our Response
•
This bill will kill jobs. • Studies show no impact on
•
It’s bad for the
economy & small
businesses.
• $472 million in new
spending per year is good
for the economy.
•
It will hurt minimum
wage workers with
higher prices & job
loss.
• 360,000 workers, esp.
women and people of
color, will get a raise.
employment levels.
• 137,000 children in homes
with higher income
(1 in every 10 kids!)
What’s Happening Next
•
Last year, the House and Senate passed two
different versions of the bill ($9.50 and $7.75
respectively).
•
The bills are now in conference committee.
•
When the 2014 session starts Feb. 25th, the
conference committee will try to reach an
agreement.
•
Both the House and Senate will need to vote
on the conference committee report.
The Raise the Wage Campaign
• We are a growing coalition of faith,
labor, and non-profit organizations.
• Field.
• Communications.
• Lobbying.
• Outreach.
What Can YOU Do?
• Sign the petition or the organizational
endorsement form.
• Organize others.
• Talk with elected officials.
• Tell your story to the press.
• Fill out the commitment form.
We can raise the wage in MN!