Raising minimum wage is not an issue of charity; It's an issue of justice, Archbishop Harry Flynn told the House Commerce Committee late Thursday afternoon.
He was testifying to advocate DFL Rep. Tom Rukavina's bill that would raise minimum wage to $7.90 by 2009.
Currently, the state minimum wage for large employers is $6.15. For small employers, it's $5.25. The Federal wage is currently $5.85, and if an employee is subject to both state and Fed. minimum wage laws, then he or she receives the higher rate.
In July, the Federal minimum wage will increase to $6.55, which exceeds MN's minimum wage. The Fed. min. wage will be $7.25 by July 2009.
Right now, 32 states have minimum wages higher than the Federal minimum wage. Three states have minimum wages lower than the Federal minimum wage. If Minnesota fails to pass legislation this session increasing the minimum wage, it will be included among those few states with minimum wages lower than the federal rate.
The archbishop spoke with conviction and passion. "Increasing the minimum wage to $7.90 doesn’t quite get us where we need to be, but it would be a significant improvement from where we are and the limitations of the federal minimum wage law," he said.
From some of the legislators' aside comments, it was clear that the archbishop's public work over the years has been greatly admired by Catholics and non-Catholics like. In anticipation of the archbishop's retirement, Committee Chair Joe Atkins thanked him for his service.
One of the best parts of the whole thing, however, was the playful banter between Archbishop Flynn, Rep. Rukavina and Rep. Atkins.
When those testifying in opposition to the bill (the MN Chamber of Commerce, MN restaurants, MN grocers) were introduced, Ret. Rukavina said, "The Archbishop will pray for them."
Rep. Atkins replied "Rep. Rukavina, I just hope he's praying for you."
No comments:
Post a Comment