To contact us Click HERE
NH Minimum Wage: HB 127 and HB 241
The two bills were lumped together in a January 29, 2013hearing in the Labor, Industrial, and Rehabilitative Services Committee.
Both bills call for an increase in the minimum wage. Lastlegislative session, the NH specific minimum wage was eliminated. NH complieswith the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The federal minimum wage hasbeen increased exactly 3 times in the last 30 years.
HB241 would increase the state minimum wage to $9.25 anhour. HB127 would increase it to $8.00 an hour.
There are some 14,000 minimum wage workers in NH. 78.8% ofthem are over the age of 20. Contrary to what many believe, fewer than a quarter of them areteenagers. More than a third of them are married, and over a quarter areparents. These are people who are earning $15,080 annually, if they work asteady 40-hour week.
The number of states (and NH counties) where a min. wage worker can afford a 2-bedroomapartment? ZERO.
The chances that a minimum wage worker is a woman? 64 in100.
If minimum wage kept up with increases in CEO pay, it wouldbe over $23 an hour.
It was obvious that some of the committee members as well asthose offering testimony today believe that minimum wage is the sole provinceof teenagers, but the facts from the Economic Policy Institute prove otherwise.
Rep. Shawn Jasper testified (in opposition) on behalf ofHouse GOP leadership. He said that what NH needs is a training wage, andrepeated several times that not everyone who is earning minimum wage is livingon minimum wage. It is Rep. Jasper’s assertion that no one is worth $8 an hourwhen they’re 8 years old or even 13. The minimum wage does not help our youth,it does not allow them to push a broom or move up the rungs of the employmentladder. In fact, Jasper asserts, teens are unemployed BECAUSE of the minimumwage. Thanks to the min. wage, those jobs aren’t being created. He reiteratedthat there are a substantial number of people who do not need to live on theminimum wage.
Quick diversion: an informal poll of my friends with kidsshows that teenaged babysitters are earning somewhere between $7 and $10 anhour.
Also, the reason for teen unemployment is simple. There arestill millions of adults out of work. The teens are competing with them forjobs. It has nothing to do with minimum wage, and everything to do with whatwe’re still not calling a depression.
Businessman Steve Grenier of Rye has a seasonal ice creambusiness. He lives year round on those earnings. He states that he would beadversely affected, and would have to raise his prices. It wouldn’t be fair tothe kids who worked their way to higher wages, if new kids came in at this new entry-levelminimum wage. His employees are all students.
Representative Daniels from the committee wondered how manyof the minimum wage workers are under 18 and still living at home. He alsowondered how many are working min. wage jobs as a second job, “just forsomething to do.” Apparently those who work second jobs don’t merit higher pay.
Chris Williams of the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerceopposes both bills. He told us of several small businesses that have closed inNashua recently (which had nothing to do with this, btw) as a warning exampleof what will happen. Of course, if people earn more, they spend more at thosesmall businesses – but that isn’t factored in to the thinking ofbusiness/industry groups and their lobbyists.
Another thing to consider: if wages don’t go up, than thecost of safety net services do.
Dan Juday (not at all sure of the spelling) of the BIAtestified in opposition. This will have a ripple effect on all employers,increasing labor costs across the board. This is why we have outsourcing –because of labor costs. Also, he told us that an increase in minimum wage couldbankrupt the unemployment insurance trust fund. This is no time to burdenemployers with more costs.
Beth Mattingly of the Carsey Institute pointed out that thefederal poverty guidelines were developed in the 1960’s, based on the cost offood. They do not factor in the cost of housing or childcare, which are thebiggest expenses for today’s working people. A single person would need to earn$9 an hour just to reach the federal poverty guidelines. Naturally, there wereother folks there to speak in support of increasing the minimum wage. For me,today, the focus is on those who defend sub-poverty wages.
There are some wage subdivisions in place already. Restaurantsare allowed to pay tipped workers substantially less than minimum wage. Theseare also people who don’t get paid sick days, so they come to work sick,because they have to, and then handle your food. Achoo!
There is a mechanism in place to pay people withdevelopmental disabilities less than minimum wage. The business lobby wouldlove to create a “training wage” in order to pay kids (and probably adults too)slave wages.
Curtis Barry of the Retail MerchantsAssociation described the minimum wage working base as students and “retiredpeople, looking for a little extra money.” Apparently those older people don’t deservea decent wage, either. Fortunately no one mentioned housewives working for "pin money."
There was almost no respect expressed for workers at this hearing. That was disheartening.
I did hear from a bill sponsor that there is a lot ofsupport for an increase in the minimum wage. On behalf of 14,000 NH workers,let’s hope that there will be one.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder