Alabama House Passes Minimum Wage Bill Blocking Planned Wage Increase

[GMDino]

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1968442-alabama-house-passes-minimum-wage-bill-blocking-planned-wage-increase/

Quote:MONTGOMERY, Ala.—A bill to restrict Alabama cities from setting a higher minimum wage— and roll back Birmingham’s planned increase to $10.10 per hour— won approval in the House of Representatives Tuesday despite a filibuster by Democrats.



Republicans voted to cut off debate after three hours, and representatives approved the bill on a 71-31 vote that fell largely along party lines. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate.


Alabama has no state minimum wage and uses the federal minimum wage of $7.25. The GOP-backed bill is on the legislative fast track as the city of Birmingham looks to raise the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour on March 1 and then to $10.10 in 2017.


“This bill is not brought to hurt the poor. This bill is to help maintain jobs for all Alabamians and those that make minimum wage. I promise you: I believe this is the right thing for this state,” said bill sponsor Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook.


Democrats said that the federal minimum wage keeps families in poverty and Republican legislators were trying to substitute their judgment for local, elected officials who approved the wage increase.


“Do you realize a man trying to feed a family of four on $7.25 an hour, they are still under the level of poverty? Do you really understand that?” Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Demopolis, asked Faulkner.


Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, said city voters can oust Birmingham City Council members who approved the raise if they later decide it was a poor decision to raise the minimum wage for all workers within the city limits.


“You can’t have it both ways. We can’t say we are tired of people being on being on public assistance and not get them an avenue or a bridge off of public assistance. You can’t demonize and vilify people who are poor and at the same time eliminate any raise to try to bring them out of poverty,” England said.


Birmingham has been Alabama’s largest city for years and struggled with poverty. Thirty percent of people live below the federal poverty line.


The Birmingham City Council approved the wage increase last year. Council members this month voted to move up the date of the wage increase as lawmakers prepared to try to block it.


Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have state minimum wages above the federal minimum.


Faulkner said he didn’t think Alabama cities had the authority to raise the minimum wage. However, he said he was concerned other cities would follow in Birmingham’s footsteps, setting up an uneven wage landscape that he thought was bad for economic development.



“I want us to be a pro-business state. Those businesses provide jobs for people to live,” Faulkner said.

[BmorePat87]

1. Let cities raise their minimum wage.

2. Going from 7.25 to 8.50 won't kill business.

3. Who is trying to feed a family of 4 on 7.25 an hour?

[GMDino]

4. Small government.

5. Get government out of our lives.

[Vas Deferens]

(02-17-2016, 05:40 PM)BmorePat87 Wrote: 1. Let cities raise their minimum wage.

2. Going from 7.25 to 8.50 won't kill business.

3. Who is trying to feed a family of 4 on 7.25 an hour?

Someone without access to birth control, isnt allowed to have abortions and is the product of the trickle down education system.  

[Benton]

i dont have a problem with cities setting the minimum wage. Stares are iffy and I don't want a higher federal minimum wage. Economies are just too different region to region.q

[*bfine32*]

I have vacillated on raising the minimum wage in the past; however, I have come to determine it to be a bad idea.

[Vas Deferens]

(02-17-2016, 05:50 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I have vacillated on raising the minimum wage in the past; however, I have come to determine it to be a bad idea.

Could you expand?  I for one am pretty tired of paying for the Walton clan's frugality when compensating their workforce.

[*bfine32*]

(02-17-2016, 05:55 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: Could you expand?  I for one am pretty tired of paying for the Walton clan's frugality when compensating their workforce.

Over 96% of the workforce already make above minimum wage, with, by far he largest percentage is 16-19 year olds (aka High School kids) at just over 15%. The only thing gained by raising the minimum wage will be higher unemployment, higher prices, and reduced stratification. There must be a goal for the employee to work.

Can you expand on what you see as the benefits? 

[Vas Deferens]

(02-17-2016, 06:04 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Over 96% of the workforce already make above minimum wage, with, by far he largest percentage is 16-19 year olds (aka High School kids) at just over 15%. 

Too me that sounds like minimum wage is much to low given the 14.8% poverty rate in 2014.

I apologize, but I don't follow the 2nd part of your statement.  Are you saying 15% of 16-19 y/o make above minimum wage?

Quote:The only thing gained by raising the minimum wage will be higher unemployment, higher prices, and reduced stratification. 

The 'higher unemployment' argument has always sounded like a scare tactic from those who are benefiting from a low minimum wage.  If a company can't pay an employee a living wage, it shouldn't be in business in my opinion.  That doesn't mean there won't be other opportunities for workers to find employment that provides a living wage elsewhere.  

Quote:http://www.dol.gov/featured/minimum-wage/mythbuster

In a letter to President Obama and congressional leaders urging a minimum wage increase, more than 600 economists, including 7 Nobel Prize winners wrote, "In recent years there have been important developments in the academic literature on the effect of increases in the minimum wage on employment, with the weight of evidence now showing that increases in the minimum wage have had little or no negative effect on the employment of minimum-wage workers, even during times of weakness in the labor market. Research suggests that a minimum-wage increase could have a small stimulative effect on the economy as low-wage workers spend their additional earnings, raising demand and job growth, and providing some help on the jobs front."

Higher prices, eh.  I think the higher prices argument is secluded to corporations that rely on low wages as well.  To be fair this is a terrible retort, but one truly from my heart of hearts, I couldn't give 2 ***** what happens to Walmart/ McDonalds/ Papa Jerkoffs if their precious cheap labor is removed.  They said the same thing about the ACA.  Amazingly, that ***** is still selling pies.

Quote:There must be a goal for the employee to work.

I have a real problem with this one.  Not everyone can be management and above.  Doesn't seem like a very christian thing to do to make these people suffer just because they weren't given the same abilities as others.  I'm not even talking entitlement here.  I'm talking about mental and physical aptitude.  Why make the people at the bottom work so much harder to achieve a decent quality of life?  Could you live on $7.25 an hour?  If someone isn't able to get above $7.25 / hr, should we just throw them to the wolves, or would you prefer to pick up that tab via you tax dollars instead?

Quote:Can you expand on what you see as the benefits? 

I think I touched on the basic humanity of it above.  But my #1 benefit is I am SICK AND ***** TIRED of all the corporate handouts.  Minimum wage is the most nefarious of them all.  We pay $240B in indirect subsidies to the FAST FOOD INDUSTRY ALONE because they pay their workers so little.  

My buying choices only go so far in the 'free market' when corporations spend fucktons lobbying washington for the ability to keep their shitty foot on the head of the drowning populace.  

Call me bitter, call me a bleeding heart (que that IDF on this board), call me a lot of things; but I'm tired of tax dollars going to benefit mega-corporations rather than the betterment of my country as a whole.

[*Nately120*]

(02-17-2016, 07:33 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: If someone isn't able to get above $7.25 / hr, should we just throw them to the wolves, or would you prefer to pick up that tab via you tax dollars instead?

Our society is pretty rotten to the bottom rung no matter what they do.  We hate and ridicule the moron who is on the government dole, but we also love to ridicule and complain about the minimum wage morons who get paid to flip burgers and who are too stupid to get our simple order right.

Basically, we complain about people who are too stupid/lazy/entitled to work but we also complain about people who are too stupid/lazy/entitled to do their jobs in a manner that fits our standards. Personally, if I go anywhere people get paid minimum wage to serve or help me and something goes wrong, I just take it in stride and blame myself for going the cheap route. Amusingly, I have noticed (at times) if you don't get visibly angry when your fast food order is messed up the people working there sometimes act as if YOU made the mistake. True story.

I ordered something to go once. I 100% knew I wanted it to go, because I was alone and almost back to my place and in no way wanted to eat alone at a ghetto-ass Wendys. I was given the order on a tray and I diplomatically said "Oh, I meant to get that to go" and the girl working there took the fact that I wasn't blaming her as a cue to tell me "Then you should have ordered it to go!" Well, I forced a smile and said "My mistake, can I have that to go please?" and that is how I convinced some minimum wage working teen that I was a total moron and she was right.

Cool story. Ok, that's all. Bye.

[Vas Deferens]

(02-17-2016, 07:41 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Our society is pretty rotten to the bottom rung no matter what they do.  We hate and ridicule the moron who is on the government dole, but we also love to ridicule and complain about the minimum wage morons who get paid to flip burgers and who are too stupid to get our simple order right.

Basically, we complain about people who are too stupid/lazy/entitled to work but we also complain about people who are too stupid/lazy/entitled to do their jobs in a manner that fits our standards.

And we refuse to fix the root of the problem, education.  Spot on.

now get your piece of shit honda out of my ***** way you poor ****, i'm trying to merge onto the toll lane.

[Benton]

(02-17-2016, 07:33 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: Too me that sounds like minimum wage is much to low given the 14.8% poverty rate in 2014.

I apologize, but I don't follow the 2nd part of your statement.  Are you saying 15% of 16-19 y/o make above minimum wage?


The 'higher unemployment' argument has always sounded like a scare tactic from those who are benefiting from a low minimum wage.  If a company can't pay an employee a living wage, it shouldn't be in business in my opinion.  That doesn't mean there won't be other opportunities for workers to find employment that provides a living wage elsewhere.  




Higher prices, eh.  I think the higher prices argument is secluded to corporations that rely on low wages as well.  To be fair this is a terrible retort, but one truly from my heart of hearts, I couldn't give 2 ***** what happens to Walmart/ McDonalds/ Papa Jerkoffs if their precious cheap labor is removed.  They said the same thing about the ACA.  Amazingly, that ***** is still selling pies.


I have a real problem with this one.  Not everyone can be management and above.  Doesn't seem like a very christian thing to do to make these people suffer just because they weren't given the same abilities as others.  I'm not even talking entitlement here.  I'm talking about mental and physical aptitude.  Why make the people at the bottom work so much harder to achieve a decent quality of life?  Could you live on $7.25 an hour?  If someone isn't able to get above $7.25 / hr, should we just throw them to the wolves, or would you prefer to pick up that tab via you tax dollars instead?


I think I touched on the basic humanity of it above.  But my #1 benefit is I am SICK AND ***** TIRED of all the corporate handouts.  Minimum wage is the most nefarious of them all.  We pay $240B in indirect subsidies to the FAST FOOD INDUSTRY ALONE because they pay their workers so little.  

My buying choices only go so far in the 'free market' when corporations spend fucktons lobbying washington for the ability to keep their shitty foot on the head of the drowning populace.  

Call me bitter, call me a bleeding heart (que that IDF on this board), call me a lot of things; but I'm tired of tax dollars going to benefit mega-corporations rather than the betterment of my country as a whole.

I agree, I don't like paying to subsidize cheap labor. But in the end, that's only going to be fixed by labor dictating a higher wage. That's why I'm opposed to right to work laws. They conflict with labor and managements ability to reach living wages.

[*bfine32*]

(02-17-2016, 07:33 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: Too me that sounds like minimum wage is much to low given the 14.8% poverty rate in 2014.

I apologize, but I don't follow the 2nd part of your statement.  Are you saying 15% of 16-19 y/o make above minimum wage?


The 'higher unemployment' argument has always sounded like a scare tactic from those who are benefiting from a low minimum wage.  If a company can't pay an employee a living wage, it shouldn't be in business in my opinion.  That doesn't mean there won't be other opportunities for workers to find employment that provides a living wage elsewhere.  




Higher prices, eh.  I think the higher prices argument is secluded to corporations that rely on low wages as well.  To be fair this is a terrible retort, but one truly from my heart of hearts, I couldn't give 2 ***** what happens to Walmart/ McDonalds/ Papa Jerkoffs if their precious cheap labor is removed.  They said the same thing about the ACA.  Amazingly, that ***** is still selling pies.


I have a real problem with this one.  Not everyone can be management and above.  Doesn't seem like a very christian thing to do to make these people suffer just because they weren't given the same abilities as others.  I'm not even talking entitlement here.  I'm talking about mental and physical aptitude.  Why make the people at the bottom work so much harder to achieve a decent quality of life?  Could you live on $7.25 an hour?  If someone isn't able to get above $7.25 / hr, should we just throw them to the wolves, or would you prefer to pick up that tab via you tax dollars instead?


I think I touched on the basic humanity of it above.  But my #1 benefit is I am SICK AND ***** TIRED of all the corporate handouts.  Minimum wage is the most nefarious of them all.  We pay $240B in indirect subsidies to the FAST FOOD INDUSTRY ALONE because they pay their workers so little.  

My buying choices only go so far in the 'free market' when corporations spend fucktons lobbying washington for the ability to keep their shitty foot on the head of the drowning populace.  

Call me bitter, call me a bleeding heart (que that IDF on this board), call me a lot of things; but I'm tired of tax dollars going to benefit mega-corporations rather than the betterment of my country as a whole.

15% of workers aged 16-19 make at or below minimum wage, which has about a 1.5% effect on the total number.

You can consider higher prices and unemployment rate as a scare tactic if you what, but who are we trying to scare?

I have no idea what your point of subsidies and tax dollars have to do with raising the minimum wage, Are you suggesting that raising the minimum wage will lower your taxes and amounts given in subsides or are you just introducing a Red Herring?

I also have no idea what raising the minimum wage has to do with humanity, as I have shown it is pretty much contained to school kids. I suppose it comes down to your views on stratification. Think I'll start a business making T-Shirts that say "I'd rather be satisfied than stratified". 

[StLucieBengal]

Minimum wage isn't supposed to be lived on....

There should be no minimum wage anyway.

[Vas Deferens]

(02-17-2016, 08:16 PM)bfine32 Wrote: 15% of workers aged 16-19 make at or below minimum wage, which has about a 1.5% effect on the total number.

Still not following how this supports your argument.  Are you saying that because most people who make minimum wage are above 20, its more acceptable?  Honestly just not following this.  Feel free to give up on me at this point.

Quote:You can consider higher prices and unemployment rate as a scare tactic if you what, but who are we trying to scare?

Trying to scare an ignorant public into thinking something that would benefit their quality of life would negatively impact them instead.

Quote:I have no idea what your point of subsidies and tax dollars have to do with raising the minimum wage, Are you suggesting that raising the minimum wage will lower your taxes and amounts given in subsides or are you just introducing a Red Herring?

That is not a red herring considering your question "Can you expand on what you see as the benefits?"  Nice attempt, but please feel free to give me that handy link you just referenced.


Moving on...

I don't necessarily want my tax dollars lowered, even though I pay a fairly hefty amount of taxes due to my particular situation.  If minimum wage were increased to a LIVING WAGE, these employees would not need to depend on government programs to make ends meet.  

Essentially, these corps are leaning on government programs in order to keep their margins in tact.  I for one do not believe that is an ethical business practice, nor do I think its a good one given the strain it puts on your workforce.

Quote:I also have no idea what raising the minimum wage has to do with humanity, as I have shown it is pretty much contained to school kids. I suppose it comes down to your views on stratification. Think I'll start a business making T-Shirts that say "I'd rather be satisfied than stratified". 

Oh.  Got it.  You're saying only kids make minimum wage? I'll refer here again:

Quote:http://www.dol.gov/featured/minimum-wage/mythbuster

 The typical minimum wage worker is not a high school student earning weekend pocket money. In fact, 89 percent of those who would benefit from a federal minimum wage increase to $12 per hour are age 20 or older, and 56 percent are women.

I do not believe it comes down to stratification, but I do think that even those at the bottom of your stratification scenario deserve access to basic human staples like food clothing and shelter.

[SunsetBengal]

The way to raise wages is actually pretty simple.  You have to reduce the work force, putting the worker at more of a premium.  How do you do that?  Get rid of all the illegals, the jobs that they are working can just as easily be filled by Americans.  Cut back on the H1-B visas, there are a ton of traditionally high paying jobs being filled by visa holders willing to work for less than traditional Americans with the same qualifications.  Lower taxes on corporations, make them want to exist in America, creating a need for more work force.

There you have it.  How freakin' simple was that?

[Benton]

(02-17-2016, 09:47 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The way to raise wages is actually pretty simple.  You have to reduce the work force, putting the worker at more of a premium.  How do you do that?  Get rid of all the illegals, the jobs that they are working can just as easily be filled by Americans.  Cut back on the H1-B visas, there are a ton of traditionally high paying jobs being filled by visa holders willing to work for less than traditional Americans with the same qualifications.  Lower taxes on corporations, make them want to exist in America, creating a need for more work force.

There you have it.  How freakin' simple was that?

I don't think it would completely solve the problem, but this would go a huge way to helping.

[*Nately120*]

(02-17-2016, 09:47 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: The way to raise wages is actually pretty simple.  You have to reduce the work force, putting the worker at more of a premium.  How do you do that?  Get rid of all the illegals, the jobs that they are working can just as easily be filled by Americans.  Cut back on the H1-B visas, there are a ton of traditionally high paying jobs being filled by visa holders willing to work for less than traditional Americans with the same qualifications.  Lower taxes on corporations, make them want to exist in America, creating a need for more work force.

There you have it.  How freakin' simple was that?

How about prosecuting people who hire illegals?

[SunsetBengal]

(02-17-2016, 10:08 PM)Nately120 Wrote: How about prosecuting people who hire illegals?

Some States already are.  Last I checked, South Carolina has some of the toughest laws in the Nation, regarding how employers of illegals are dealt with.  Then, when SC disallowed free college to illegals, it became a news story, here in NC.  Only because they started flooding into NC.  The recession years has done much to self remedy the problem with the illegals, as when construction slowed, they didn't have as much readily available work.  And many have earned their "retirement", and went home to Mexico.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

How much or a rise in minimum wage are we talking about and over how many years?

Seriously, a guy goes to work for a company and after 8 years, he finally reaches $15.00 an hour. The next week, minimum wage goes up to $15.00 an hour...that guy is going to be pissed.