Eight Democrats join Gov. LePage in minimum wage rollback attempt

[Donkees]

Feb 28, 2017

Excerpt:

It appears Democrats in the Maine Legislature are splitting on the minimum wage, with at least six Democratic representatives and two senators breaking with their party to co-sponsor legislation to roll back part of the minimum wage increase just passed by statewide referendum.

In January, tipped workers, like restaurant servers, received their first raise in eight years, with their base wage going from $3.75 to $5 an hour. Under the new law, they’ll continue to see gradual increases over the next ten years until the subminimum tipped wage reaches the full minimum wage.

Seven states already have no subminimum wage for tipped workers, and many more have higher tipped wages than Maine.

Governor Paul LePage, however, vehemently opposes raising the tipped wage and has railed against the voter-approved minimum wage increase at nearly every public event and media appearance in the months since the election.

The Democrats who are co-sponsoring Republican bills to implement the minimum wage cut are:

Sen. Bill Diamond (Cumberland County)
Sen. Jim Dill (Penobscot County)
Rep. Robert Alley (Beals)
Rep. Martin Grohman (Biddeford)
Rep. Brian Hubbell (Bar Harbor)
Rep. Louis Luchini (Ellsworth)
Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio (Sanford)
Rep. Catherine Nadeau (Winslow)
For some tipped workers, the minimum wage increase has already begun to have a positive effect.

“It makes a huge difference to make that little bit more an hour. It makes it more possible to support yourself and support your family” said Liz McArthur, a restaurant server and single mother living in Lewiston.

“The other night when I went into work I actually made no money because it was icy out and no one came in except one table and the other server got the table. Right now with tips half the time I don’t even get paid the minimum wage per hour, the $7.50,” said McArthur, who supports her three-year-old daughter and is working her way through nursing school waiting tables.

http://mainebeacon.com/eight-democrats-join-gov-lepage-in-minimum-wage-rollback-attempt/

[world wide wally]

1. Assholes

WTF do these people have against a hard working person actually having the ability to pay their bills and maybe have a few bucks left over to treat themselves to a fucking pizza or movie once a week?