| updated weekly |
home - contribute - donate - message board - events - links - contact us - archive |
| March 1, 2007 Editor’s Desk by Aaron Selbig, insurgent49 It’s been a hardworking week here at Insurgent Headquarters. Last week, more than 14,000 working Alaskans suffered a devastating blow at the hands of their state Legislature. After an acrimonious hearing in which dueling sides could find no common ground, the House Labor and Commerce Committee decided not to advance a bill that would have raised Alaska’s minimum wage to $8.00 per hour. This shameful attack on Alaska’s working didn’t make front-page headlines, however. In fact, it barely made the newspapers at all. Rep. Jay Ramras (R-Fairbanks), a committee member and restaurant owner who was instrumental in the bill’s defeat, argued that raising the state’s minimum wage would cripple the restaurant industry. Paying his employees an extra eighty-five cents per hour, he argued, would lessen his ability to give raises to those earning more than the minimum. Sounds like the kind of employer who’s not too forthcoming with raises to begin with, doesn’t he? Remember that if you’re ever considering applying at one of his restaurants. Ramras’ retread argument was soundly defeated by two other Alaskans who testified before the committee. One of them, Alaska AFL-CIO president Vincent Beltrami, pointed to a 10.1% growth rate in Washington state’s restaurant industry a year after a minimum wage increase was approved there. Not satisfied by that answer, Ramras demanded that Mr. Beltrami produce some “data” on how much higher that growth rate would have been without the increase. Please. Rep. Ramras’ argument that he would have to pay his above-minimum employees more money was unwittingly countered by Juneau business owner Dorothy Wilson, who said that most employees already refuse to work for the minimum. So most restaurant workers are already demanding as much as $9.00 per hour? Then what exactly is the problem with raising the minimum to $8.00? Personally, I’d rather work at Anchorage’s Snow City Café, which is partially owned by Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage), one of the sponsors of the wage increase bill. Rep. Carl Gatto (R-Palmer), who presumably does not own any restaurants, made the point during the hearing that minimum wage jobs are entry-level positions that are meant for high school kids. Not so, Mr. Gatto. Of Alaska’s 14,300 workers who presently make less than $8.00 per hour, the majority are adult women, many of whom with children to support. On the bright side, there is still a minimum wage bill alive in the US Congress. It would raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15/hr. (imagine working for that for a moment) to $7.25. With the Democrats in charge in DC now, passage of that bill, the first hike in the minimum wage in more than ten years, stands a chance. Don’t forget to let Lisa, Ted & Don know how you feel about it. As for Alaska, it looks like we’ll have to live to fight another day, if we can scrape by until then. Aaron Selbig is an activist and media junkie who resides in an undisclosed location in downtown Anchorage. He is the winner of a 2006 Alaska Press Club award for Best Editorial Writing, host of KUDO 1080 AM's 'The Aaron Selbig Show' and a co-founder of Insurgent49. Aaron may be contacted at editor@insurgent49.com 'Editor's Desk' appears on insurgent49.com every Thursday. |
-
Columnists -
- column archive -
February 22, 2007 February 15, 2007 February 8, 2007 February 1, 2007 January 25, 2007 January 18, 2007 January 11, 2007 January 4, 2007 December 28, 2006 December 21, 2006 December 14, 2006 December 7, 2006 November 30, 2006 November 23, 2006 November 10, 2006 November 3, 2006 October 27, 2006 October 13, 2006 October 6, 2006 September 29, 2006 September 22, 2006 September 15, 2006 September 8, 2006 September 1, 2006 August 25, 2006 August 18, 2006 August 11, 2006 August 4, 2006 July 28, 2006 July 21, 2006 July 14, 2006 June 30, 2006 June 23, 2006 June 16, 2006 June 9, 2006 June 2, 2006 May 26, 2006 May 12, 2006 May 5, 2006 April 28, 2006 April 21, 2006 April 14, 2006 April 7, 2006 March 31, 2006 March 24, 2006 March 17, 2006 March 3, 2006 February 24, 2006 February 17, 2006 February 10, 2006 February 3, 2006 January 27, 2006 January 20, 2006 January 13, 2006 January 6, 2006 December 30, 2005 December 23, 2005 December 16, 2005 December 10, 2005 December 2, 2005 November 25, 2005 November 18, 2005 November 11, 2005 November 4, 2005 October 28, 2005 October 21, 2005 October 14, 2005 October 7, 2005 September 30, 2005 September 23, 2005 September 16, 2005 September 9, 2005 September 2, 2005 August 26, 2005 August 19, 2005 August 12, 2005 August 5, 2005 July 29, 2005 July 22, 2005 July 15, 2005 July 8, 2005 July 1, 2005 June 24, 2005 June 17, 2005 June 10, 2005 June 3, 2005 May 27, 2005 May 20, 2005 May 13, 2005 May 6, 2005 April 28, 2005 April 21, 2005 April 14, 2005 April 7, 2005 April 1, 2005 |
||||||||
| Copyright 2005
Insurgent Media.
All rights reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
|||||||||
