Voters in three cities give low-wage workers a raise

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Daily Kos

Laura Clawson

Minimum wage workers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and San Jose, California, and hotel workers in Long Beach, California, will be getting a raise as a result of Tuesday's elections.

In Albuquerque, an initiative to raise the minimum wage to $8.50, tie it to inflation, and increase the minimum wage for tipped workers to 60 percent of the regular minimum over two years passed overwhelmingly:

Voters approved the measure with 139,143 votes for to 70,952 against—a 66 percent to 34 percent margin.

FULL story at link


Read more: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/07/1158036/-Voters-in-three-cities-give-low-wage-workers-a-raise?detail=hide

[Cal Carpenter]

1. Excellent, thanks for the link

There's a long way to go as far as getting working people's wages up to a decent standard, but this is a good sign. 2 to 1 in ABQ.

[whathehell]

2. +1 n/t

[KamaAina]

3. The local cat box liner derided Measure D supporters as "a bunch of well-meaning college students"

the measure did, in fact, originate in a sociology class at San Jose State, but it also drew heavy backing from labor. The Merc and a majority of our city council are heavily into demonizing labor. Even though most of them have (D)'s after their names.

edit: Now we'll see if Jack In The Box (Left Coast fast-food chain) follows through on its threat to abandon San Jose and make everyone drive to Campbell or Santa Clara for a hamburger.

[Cal Carpenter]

4. Interesting that they characterize students + labor as laughable

when, in reality, many major changes in this world have been prompted by the joining of these forces...