Washblog || Mike! supports $1 billion paycut for tipped employees

Mike! supports $1 billion paycut for tipped employees

By switzerblog
Sun Aug 06, 2006 at 12:18:02 PM PST
Section: Washington State Topic: Labor issues

I approve this message and Les Blumenthal is the best!

"I can't believe they were serious."

If you're not reading Les Blumenthal, you're not paying attention. Just fyi for those who are hoping to learn more about local politics and "how things work", Les is the South Sound's David Postman, a great writer and reporter, and worth looking for. (thus concludes today's lesson on "How to become better informed about local politics")

Today, he covers fallout from the tip credit/permanent estate tax repeal bill (formerly known as the minimum wage "increase" bill). In it, we find that Republicans, again, took our Senators for fools and again, were disappointed. We also find Cantwell sharing some surprisingly pointed words about the issue, Mike! strapping on some anti-civility gloves, and we learn that...Maria was considered a swing vote on this bill and she voted for us.

"Who would vote for something that would give (Washington state's) minimum wage a haircut?" Cantwell said in an interview. "This is crazy. I can't believe they were serious."

Damn straight! (Of course, she knows good and damn well the Republicans didn't want this thing to pass - they might as well have named it the "GOP Campaign Commercials Slamming Dems No Matter How You Vote Act of 2006") But frankly, saying that directly is what we call inside baseball - a big DUH to those of us who follow the game, but not so clear for the wider populace. Maria went about as direct as you can go and keep the ear of Joe and Jan Average Voter.

Cantwell, other Democrats and unions said the provision involving tips and the minimum wage would lower the income of workers in Washington and six other states. Republicans and the National Restaurant Association said it would have no immediate effect.

And they're right. Had they accidentally won passage of the GCCSDNMHYV Act, they would have waited until after November to start slashing wages by $5.50 per hour for 120,000 Washingtonians with tipped jobs.

btw, I see less talk here about this than I expected, which surprises me, because we're big on the social justice. I think perhaps the full weight of what they tried hasn't sunk in. Assuming an average of 30 hours a week, that's a pay cut of $660 every month. That translates to shifting the tax burden on $79 million a month, $950 million per year, to working people in the service industry, simultaneously cutting their wages that same amount. Today, that tax burden is shared between the employer and employee in payroll tax. In addition to cutting the pay of the lowest-paid, they were trying to make them pay the full tax on that money.

I'll repeat: Republicans in Congress tried to create a scenario wherein 120,000 of our most vulnerable workers would be forced to pay 100% of the taxes on nearly $1 billion in wages that would no longer exist. Possibly the biggest piece of shit slap to Washington's workers I've ever heard of.

And civility sideshow Mike! is "disappointed" that Maria didn't vote for it.

"Sen. Cantwell's position on this bill is profoundly disappointing," McGavick said in a statement indicating that he would have supported the legislation.
McGavick , citing a last-minute letter from the U.S. Department of Labor, said the bill would not have lowered the wages of employees in Washington receiving tips below the state's minimum wage of $7.63 per hour.
"It is sad that Sen. Cantwell is choosing to oppose it (the bill) and is missing a great opportunity to help Washington," McGavick said. "It is worse that she and her party leaders are employing fear tactics as a cover for their partisanship."

Mike! would have voted to cut our most vulnerable citizens' pay by almost $1 billion, yet force them to pay taxes on those missing wages. Now THAT'S some civility. Speaking of civility, I see Mike! is preparing to remove the gloves and show his true colors. "party leaders...employing fear tactics as a cover for...partisanship"? Unless he's describing his own party, it sounds like kitty decided to show his claws!

What is sad is watching the beginning of Mike!'s decline - slipping poll numbers, embracing his own party's cynical attacks on our most vulnerable workers, pandering to intelligent design proponents at the expense of our children's science education, and now dropping his civil facade and returning to the Mike! of Slade Gorton's vicious campaign past. Kudos to Maria for opposing this cynical nonsense! And Mike!...keep up the good work, buddy.

< America's Hate-Consitutency and Mr. Gibson | Gravel mines, stinking carcasses, stolen water, tricked voters, I-933 >

Mike! supports $1 billion paycut for tipped employees | 4 comments (4 topical)

Well, you know, Ray . . .

btw, I see less talk here about this than I expected, which surprises me, because we're big on the social justice. I think perhaps the full weight of what they tried hasn't sunk in. Assuming an average of 30 hours a week, that's a pay cut of $660 every month.

If you remember, some of us who are from union backgrounds have been very consistently railing against "tip credit" for years, and for all the time this blog has been active.

During the most recent election for state party chair, for instance, we hung "tip credit" around Laura Ruderman's neck and never quit doing it till we had ended her candidacy

We took a lot of heat for it, some right here on this blog, but "tip credit" is one of my personal litmus tests, and I'm not one damn bit sorry for my part in that discussion.

I recognize that not all Democrats share my view that this issue should be a "third rail" in WA politics. But this is a social justice issue. If we do not stick up for the lowest wage workers, or those workers whose income is so precarious that they have to rely on tips, who then will stand up for them?

And if we do not stand up for them, why would we expect them to stand up for us?

If perception is reality, then the world must be flat and the sun must revolve around it.

by ivan on Sun Aug 06, 2006 at 12:40:24 PM PST

* 1 5.00 1 *

Frankly, I think people were bracing themselves...

....thinking that this piece of junk might pass.

It's become such a mantra among Cantwell and other Demcrats that the estate tax is bad and evil that people pretty much expected that Dems like Cantwell would be unwilling to resist cutting taxes on the very rich if it meant getting a minimum wage bill they didn't have to work for.

I think your analysis is right and the Republicans crafted the bill to force Cantwell and the other Senators from non-tip-credit states to vote against the measure. Why put the tip credit issue in at all? Can the tip credit in 7 states been worth it to the National Restaurant Association when they will have to pay more for labor in all 50 states?

Of course the Republicans will keep that supply of illegals flowing to restaurant kitchens across America, so maybe the Restauranteurs weren't scared of a minimum wage for dishwashers.

by dlaw on Wed Aug 09, 2006 at 12:00:39 AM PST

* 4 5.00 1 *

Thank you for summarizing this

in a way we can easily understand and pass on to voters.

These things are so bad -- and there are so many of them -- that it is nearly impossible to respond properly. These are enormous thefts from working people. We are in the midst of a revolution -- an anti-government, anti-regular people, anti-common good revolution.

So here's what I'm going to memorize:

These people (Reichert, McGavick, et al.) supported a law slashing wages by $5.50 per hour for 120,000 Washingtonians with tipped jobs. For people working 30 hours a week, that would be a pay cut of $660 every month.

Add that to the votes to reduce community college loan money, cut Head Start money, cut health benefits for the National Guard, give billions in benefits to the oil industry -- gosh, I hope the voters catch on that we're being cheated big time here.

by noemie maxwell on Sun Aug 06, 2006 at 12:52:11 PM PST

* 2 none 0 *

thanks

Great post.

I think that the GOP may have just shot themselves in the foot with this one.

Here's hoping.

by Israelhand on Mon Aug 07, 2006 at 01:08:01 PM PST

* 3 none 0 *

Mike! supports $1 billion paycut for tipped employees | 4 comments (4 topical)

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