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How a powerful rightwing lobby (ALEC) is plotting to stop minimum wage hikes
Source: The Guardian
How a powerful rightwing lobby is plotting to stop minimum wage hikes
Ed Pilkington in New York
Friday 20 February 2015 20.22 GMT
A network of Republican lawmakers and their rightwing corporate funders are battling behind closed doors to block minimum wage increases in cities across the US, in a step-by-step counter-attack that could cut back the incomes of millions of Americans despite an economic upswing.
According to strategic details obtained by the Guardian, the American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec) – along with its localised sister organization, ACCE – is trying to prevent elected city representatives from raising the minimum wage to levels above those set by their states. The group has launched an aggressive dual-track mission that combines legislation and litigation in what Alec calls a “new battleground” over worker compensation.
The anti-wage increase moves come as Walmart, a former corporate member of the Alec network and the largest private employer in the US, responded to a barrage of criticism over the company’s low wages this week by agreeing to raise its base rate to at least $9 an hour for about 40% of its employees. The hike will marginally improve the earnings of about 500,000 Walmart workers, though it falls far short of the $15 per hour that staff – and labor advocates in cities across the country – have been demanding.
Alec’s plan to oppose minimum wage increases at the local level was set out in a recent meeting in Washington DC that brought together Republican legislators with several large corporate backers. The meeting was closed to journalists, but the Guardian has obtained details of the discussion from participants.
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Ed Pilkington in New York
Friday 20 February 2015 20.22 GMT
A network of Republican lawmakers and their rightwing corporate funders are battling behind closed doors to block minimum wage increases in cities across the US, in a step-by-step counter-attack that could cut back the incomes of millions of Americans despite an economic upswing.
According to strategic details obtained by the Guardian, the American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec) – along with its localised sister organization, ACCE – is trying to prevent elected city representatives from raising the minimum wage to levels above those set by their states. The group has launched an aggressive dual-track mission that combines legislation and litigation in what Alec calls a “new battleground” over worker compensation.
The anti-wage increase moves come as Walmart, a former corporate member of the Alec network and the largest private employer in the US, responded to a barrage of criticism over the company’s low wages this week by agreeing to raise its base rate to at least $9 an hour for about 40% of its employees. The hike will marginally improve the earnings of about 500,000 Walmart workers, though it falls far short of the $15 per hour that staff – and labor advocates in cities across the country – have been demanding.
Alec’s plan to oppose minimum wage increases at the local level was set out in a recent meeting in Washington DC that brought together Republican legislators with several large corporate backers. The meeting was closed to journalists, but the Guardian has obtained details of the discussion from participants.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/20/alec-rightwing-lobby-group-minimum-wage
ALEC model bill: Living Wage Mandate Preemption Act
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