House of Delegates Kills Minimum Wage Bill

By: Lowell
Published On: 2/20/2007 5:55:48 PM

See here for more, including some interesting audio of Republican leader Morgan Griffith attempting to explain himself on this issue.

Comments



Brian Moran Statement on the minimum wage (Lowell - 2/20/2007 7:37:52 PM)
STATEMENT ON REPUBLICAN DEFEAT OF MINIMUM WAGE

~House Republicans leave thousands of hard working Virginians below the poverty line~

RICHMOND - House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian J. Moran made the following statement after House Republican leaders defeated legislation to increase the minimum wage on the floor of the House today (SB1327-Colgan). Delegate Moran introduced legislation increasing the minimum wage to $6.15 by 2008 and $7.25/hr by 2009. The minimum wage has been stagnant for over 10 years. The vote referred the bill to the Committee on Appropriations on a vote of 53 - 43 with only Republican members supporting the procedural motion to defeat the legislation. No additional meetings of the Appropriations committee will be scheduled this session.

"Working full time and raising a family should never be a ticket to poverty. This shortsighted decision shortchanges Virginia's families by making them worker harder for less and less every year. I'm deeply saddened that Republican leaders chose to stand against working families. Raising the minimum wage is not only a matter of fairness and valuing hard work, but increasing the minimum wage will also help drive Virginia's economy by putting more money into the pockets of working families."

Twenty-nine states have minimum wages above the federal level. Six states passed statewide initiatives to increase their state minimum wages just last year by overwhelming margins. Between 1998 and 2004, the job growth for small businesses in states with a minimum wage higher than the federal level was 6.2 percent, compared to a 4.1 percent growth in states where the federal level prevailed.

Working 40 hours at the minimum wage provides $10,700 per year, less than the federal poverty level.



Moderate Phil Hamilton (Newport News Dem - 2/21/2007 8:23:56 AM)
I call him out on it. He is in bed with the extreme wing of his bankrupt party.

First with Marshall and the total abortion ban and now killing the minimum wage. Same with Oder, however Hamilton is in an increasingly "blue" district.

Being a moderate is trying to pay for roads with some expo facto horse race? Good governance in Virginia requires defeat of the republican majorities in both houses, conservatives and faux moderates as well must be defeated.



Organize, Organize, Organize (Matt H - 2/21/2007 10:50:18 AM)
The next (and better) approach to living better is to form or join a Union.  Though Virginia is a right-to-work state, this law in no way, shape or form limits any worker's right to form or join a Union.

Still, I wonder out loud if Moran or any Democrat has the guts to discuss repealing the State's right-to-work law.



Matt, Are you suggesting that... (jazzguy - 2/21/2007 1:51:44 PM)
...Moran and other elected Dems don't have the guts to repeal the right-to-work law?  Interesting.  Give us more of your thoughts.  Do they have any history that can validate that?


"Right to Work" certainly is a controversial (Lowell - 2/21/2007 3:00:44 PM)
subject in Virginia.  Personally, I agree with Leslie Byrne that it should be called "Right to be Poor."  I'd also add "Right to be Exploited," "Right to Have Your Jobs Outsourced to China," "Right to Have Your Benefits Taken Away," etc.  But remember how much crap Leslie took for her criticism of "Right to Work."