The Democratic Party Adopts $15/hour Minimum Wage into National Platform

U.S. Uncut ^

[TigerClaws]

The Democratic Party on Friday adopted a call to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr as part of their established party platform heading into the 2016 election season. The move further polarizes the progressive wing of the party by moving them further to the left of both the Republican Party, and corporate centrist Democrats such as Hillary Clinton.

In response to the Democratic Party’s vote, Terrence Wise, a Kansas City, Mo. McDonald’s and Burger King Worker and member of the National Organizing Committee of the Fight for $15, issued the following statement.

[TigerClaws]

$30 pizzas coming to a town near you...

[Darteaus94025]

Hillary interns exempted, of course.

[Yosemitest]

Minimum-wage increase proposals are NOT about minimum wages.
It's about UNION wages (read government employees mostly) and UNION DUES.
Like "Artie" on another thread wrote.

"but my theory is that
this is one of the foundations of single payer.
Down the road, as single payer replaces ObamaCare,
all healthcare workers will become in essence government employees.
Think about how many thousands of new, dues paying union members will magically become part of the SEIU.

Barry had sealed this deal with Andy Stern years ago.
Barry promised Andy and the SEIU thousands of new members,
Andy says
great,
this is the wage structure we need
so we can pay the slush fund.
Gotta pay a living wage to all of the new union members
so dues can be extracted
and kickbacks to the dems can be made.
It’s convoluted
but what dem scheme isn’t,
especially when large sums of cash are involved?"

So read the following:

Union Support Of Minimum Wage Hike Is Self-Interested

Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, ... was quick to emphasize that her organization's support of a more-than-twofold increase in the minimum wage was "not about growing unions."

This may be true — but it's also undeniable that such a move would have a profound impact on growing union paychecks, even if those unions don't count a single minimum-wage employee in their ranks.

The fine print can be found in union contracts. Each year, the Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) releases a number of union collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).

Unsurprisingly, many CBAs available in the OLMS database LINK union salaries and wage rates to the federal minimum wage. There are a number of methods that unions use to accomplish this end. The two most popular appear to be setting baseline union wages as a percentage above the minimum wage, and mandating a flat wage at a set level above the minimum wage.

One example is a series of CBAs signed with the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE). Their contracts mandated that
"(w)henever the federal legal minimum wage is increased, minimum wage (in the agreement) shall be increased so that each will be at least fifteen (15%) percent higher than such legal minimum wage."

There's also an SEIU local's contract, which ordered that
"(t)he minimum hourly wage rates shall exceed any statutory applicable minimum wage rate by 50 cents."

Some unions have also arranged contracts where the employer MUST renegotiate their contracts in case of a minimum-wage hike, NO MATTER HOW LONG is left on the pact's life span.

The possibility for abuse here is staggering:
Unions with average wages WELL ABOVE the minimum wage CAN INSERT such clauses into their contracts, FORCING negotiations in industries not otherwise affected by a wage hike.

Given the limited number of CBAs available in the OLMS database, it's impossible to determine just how widespread this practice is.

But at least one union has trumpeted this arrangement as "one of the many advantages of being a union member."

Earlier this year on its blog, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union proudly boasted that "oftentimes, union contracts ARE TRIGGERED TO IMPLEMENT WAGE HIKES IN CASE OF MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES."

This is a stunning admission of SELF-INTERESTt for an organization that's actively PUSHING minimum-wage hikes at both the state and federal levels of government.

It also raises questions about unions' growing use of nonunion "worker centers" like the Restaurant Opportunities Center, OUR Walmart, Fast Food Forward and other organizations that have made headlines in recent months.

These groups advocate many policies that would affect those businesses that pay a minimum wage — restaurants, retailers, etc. — and a minimum-wage hike is often the FIRST demand that these union front groups make. This only casts further suspicion on the motives of the labor unions funding these groups.

No matter how you look at it, the benefits that these unions stand to reap from a minimum-wage hike should raise questions about their real motives — and whether they're only manipulating the debate over fast-food wages for their own benefit.

Berman is the executive director at the Center for Union Facts.

[onedoug]

Compel them to again reject God at their convention.

[Olog-hai]

“What is the difference between a Democrat and a socialist? I used to think there was a big difference. What do you think it is?” […]

“What is the big difference between a Democrat and a socialist? You’re the chairman of the Democratic Party—tell me the difference between you and a socialist!” …

DWS will never be able to answer that question now, not that she even tried when Chrissy Matthews asked her.

[ctdonath2]

Total income around $12/hr earned + welfare = about $38/hr earned alone.
At $15/hr, welfare starts cutting off and total income starts dropping.
At $18/hr, welfare evaporates and total income plummets 1/3rd.

Either the Left is going to get a massive wake-up call about how screwed up our welfare-to-work economics is, or they _do_ know and have plans to smooth out the welfare support gap (and then still have to contend with people wondering why they’re having to work so much when their total income is the same all the way from $12/hr to $38/hr, even if there isn’t a huge gap in between).

[kik5150]

1. Less jobs.
2. More people go on welfare.
3. More people dependent on the government.
4. More Democrat voters created.
5. Taxes must be raised on the rich to pay for more welfare.
6. Businesses that can go overseas.
7. Tax base reduced.
8. Federal deficit increased.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Damn Nazi ‘RATS. Always giving away somebody else’s money to get their goatsmellin’ asses elected/reelected.

[TigerClaws]

Exactly.

Why is it to Leftists the only cure for the problems they create is more Leftism?

It’s like going to the doctor for the flu and getting injected with a stronger dose.

They don’t get that their terrible ideas are the problem in the first place.

[The Free Engineer]

Or to put it another way, Democrats want to make it illegal for you to take a job for less then $15 per hour.

That is dreadfully unfair to the unskilled.

But if you are a robotics or automation engineer, it is good for you.

[South40]

Te more the left does to destroy this country the more I believe that is their goal.

[dragnet2]

And free pizza for everyone making 25k or less. This is just knee jerk desperation from the mentally ill sultans of sham.

But will agree what they pay some folks in 2015 America best compares to 1999 wages. And it’s what draws millions of illegals here, who think 9 bucks is a great wage. Of course it’s a huge pay raise for them, and they get it as soon as they cross the border. Instant big time raise, few Americans will ever see.

[Eagles6]

Last time they denied God 3x.

[RitaOK]

Sadly, all this sells. Get the buses ready and they will haul to capacity those who will vote for it. Isn’t public education great?

[dragnet2]

And to add to #12, I know of illegals who work here in the U.S. and we find they’’ve bought homes in Mexico and in fact are remodeling, putting in swimming pools, doing room additions etc, all with American dollars they send back.

[clearcarbon]

Increased minimum wage means more income tax paid to State and Federal government until the jobs disappear.

[boop]

Yes. All you see whimpering about the $15 minimum wage are SEIU members

You don't see very many minimum wage people in the crowd, unless they are paid.

This is ALL about increasing union thug wages that are tied to the minimum wage. Period.

The union thugs couldn't care less about the fast food employees.

And how many they will put out of work.

[dsrtsage]

I am going to start an $50 an hour minimum wage movement

[Axenolith]

Time to up the payouts for the base! Increased bennies to follow!!!

[sten]

call democrat representatives and ask the person answering the phone, how much they get paid per hour.

normally, it’s $ 0.00 / hr

dems should be forced to pay ALL their staffers $15.00/hr