Who'd have guessed it? Hard on the heels of S.2739 being sent to President Bush, the Governors of American Samoa and the Northern Marianas are asking to put off this month's minimum wage increase--or for $15 million each.
S.2739 would extend U.S. immigration and some labor laws to the Commonwealth. The CNMI and American Samoa minimum wage will jump fifty cents to $4.05 on May 25.
The money's a good idea, if they can get it, even if it's frittered away as usual.
But really, I'm amazed they're still trying to block the minimum wage. Now they're on the other side, particularly in the Senate. They not only need a majority, they need a large majority to make any changes. It just...won't...happen.
Maybe it's in their contracts with the Saipan and American Samoa Chambers of Commerce.
And they have to bring up that tired, worthless Department of Labor report again.
Pshaw.
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3 comments:
I hope you're right that they have little to no chance of succeeding on stopping the minimum wage increase.
On the proposed money/financial aid package, they say it can be used for "transportation projects, measures to bring down the cost of fuel and stabilize shipping, job retraining, emergency financial relief to affected employers, efficiency studies for local governments, and funding for essential public services." Also tourism.
I wonder if transportation projects could include sidewalks. I have a feeling we'll all need to be walking and biking more, soon.
Rather than expend their effort on useless and immoral (yes it is immoral) efforts to stop the measly minimum wage increases.. they should focus on working with the feds to garner funds to address CUC. Replace the engines and privatize.
The feds aren't just coming, they're at the door already. Time to suck it up, politely answer the door and draw some tea already. They might be open to bringing some scones tomorrow.. if you're nice enough.
They might also want to cram those scones up our butt (a far more likely scenario), and there is precious little we can do about it, now that the swat team is at the door.
Get off your high horse, knucklehead. Monetary policy immoral? Ridiculous. Holding a gun to someone's head and forcing them to adhere to some sick career bureaucrats idea of what constitutes a 'minimum wage' is what is immoral. Force is immoral. Consenting adults agreeing between themselves on what constitutes a reasonable working relationship...that is called freedom, not immorality. Both sides in this are fighting for the immoral, not reasonable levels of freedom…immoral force is what both sides offer, to our detriment. They only differ in degree, not in policy. Both think of employers and employees as slaves to suck lifeblood from. That is immoral.
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