By CAP Action War Room

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Seattle Business And Labor Leaders Reach Compromise For Historic $15 Minimum Wage

Just one day after a minority of 41 Republican Senators prevented a federal minimum wage increase to $10.10 from even being debated, Seattle announced a plan to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour. The deal, brokered by Mayor Ed Murray and developed by labor leaders, business leaders, restaurateurs, and community groups, epitomizes the stark contrast between the intransigence of one party in the nation’s capital, and the spirit of compromise elsewhere that can lead to real progress.

The $15 minimum wage will be the highest in the nation. It is a demonstration of policy-making that will grow the economy from the middle-out, not the top down. These businesses, community leaders, and labor leaders in Seattle all understand the benefit of raising the minimum wage—it would put more money in the pocket of workers who will turn around and spend that money at businesses large and small. More customers means more jobs and a stronger economy for everyone. Seattle is “showing how we as a city can lead the conversation” for the nation on income inequality, said Mayor Ed Murray.

Think Progress breaks down the details of the plan, which the Mayor says will leave “no industry, organization or class of employer exempt”:

The new pay floor will phase in at different speeds for businesses of different sizes, but all employers will have to meet the $15 minimum wage by the end of the decade. Businesses with more than 500 employees nationwide will have a three-year phase-in period, while smaller employers get five years to ratchet up their payscales.

After reaching $15 an hour, the city’s minimum wage will automatically climb by 2.4 percent each year regardless of the rate of inflation. Even among states with relatively strong minimum wage laws, automatic increases are uncommon. Thursday’s deal will make Seattle the national leader on municipal minimum wage laws. Washington currently has the highest pay floor of any state at $9.32 per hour.

Like one would expect with any major policy compromise, the deal has been in the works for months and took time to iron out. The Mayor initially pushed for a $15 minimum wage last December, when he created an income inequality advisory group representing to come up with a plan to raise the wage to that level in four months. At certain points in the process the deal looked dead. But yesterday, just an hour before the deadline, the necessary “super-majority” was reached with 21 of the 24 committee members approving the deal.

Seattle, while pushing the largest increase, isn’t the only success story of cities and states taking action to raise the minimum wage while Congress flounders. Here are a few others:

• Hawaii: Voted to raise its minimum wage to $10.10 on April 30th
• Connecticut: Raised its minimum wage to $10.10 on March 27th
• Maryland: Raised its minimum wage to $10.10 on April 7th
• Minnesota: Raised its minimum wage to $9.50 on April 10th
• Washington, DC: Raised its minimum wage to $11.50 by 2016 on January 15th

BOTTOM LINE: Washington, DC can learn a lot from Seattle, Washington. It’s time to stop playing politics with people’s lives and start building an economy that works for everyone.

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Keep the momentum moving from Hawaii to Delaware.

Hours ago, legislators in Hawaii passed a Same Day Registration (SDR) bill that will allow people to register and vote on the same day. The bill is on the way to the Governor’s desk for a signature, and will make Hawaii the 13th state (plus the District of Columbia!) with SDR. Our Hawaii state partner, Faith Action for Community Equity, was on the front lines of this fight.

With right-wing leaders doing everything they can to restrict the franchise in places like Arizona, North Carolina, and Texas, SDR is one step states can take to expand rather than reduce voter rolls. Because voting is a right, not a privilege, and we are stronger when everyone has a voice.

That’s why Action for the Common Good and Center for Popular Democracy are also working closely with our state partner, Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement, to pass an SDR bill in the First State.

Can you help our efforts to advance voting rights in Delaware and elsewhere with a $13 investment?

Arcane, outdated voting rules fall most heavily on young people, low-income citizens, and people of color – those with the lowest registration rate. Same Day Registration helps level the playing field for them by offering a major new opportunity to register to vote and participate in elections.

Same Day Registration is a proven means of increasing voter participation. States with SDR led the nation in voter turnout by 10 percentage points in the 2012 presidential election. Please help us pass SDR across the country and continue to do what we can to expand rather than restrict voting rights.

DONATE HERE.

Thanks for all you do.

Katrina and the Voting Rights Team, Action for the Common Good

www.commongoodaction.org

Friends,

The bigoted comments of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling that came to light last week were deeply hurtful. That the Los Angeles branch of the NAACP had been planning to give an award to a man with a history of hateful remarks is simply inexcusable.

Last night, I accepted Leon Jenkins’ resignation from his position as President of the Los Angeles branch. This was the first of many steps we as an organization are taking to address this issue. The NAACP remains actively engaged in a review of the Los Angeles branch. We will determine the shortcomings that enabled Donald Sterling to receive or be considered for any awards. We will prevent this from happening again.

We recognize the need for all our units to have the resources to serve their communities, but we must not allow that need to compromise our founding principles. We must determine what Donald Sterling donated to the NAACP Los Angeles branch—in order for it to be returned.

I know you may be angry, frustrated, and confused. We will be making changes, and I hope our commitment to addressing this issue helps us move forward, so we can remain focused on the critical issues facing so many of our communities.

Millions still face unprecedented attacks on their rights to vote. Our families too often feel the terror of gun violence. The number of children with access to a quality education is shrinking, while economic inequality and instances of racial profiling are on the rise.

The success of our mission requires vigilance on many important issues at once, even as we strive to improve our organization at every level.

I look forward to working with you on both fronts this year and beyond.

Thank you,

Lorraine C. Miller
Interim President and CEO
NAACP

P.S. We commend the NBA for banning Donald Sterling for life, and commencing the process for a forced sale of his team. Write a message of thanks to Commissioner Silver, and we’ll deliver your note when we meet to discuss the issue of racism in professional sports.

In the aftermath of in-custody deaths, authorities rely on each other’s conclusions — even when those conclusions are flawed — ensuring no one is held accountable when prisoners die.

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