While Maine's progressive legislature is
moving to bump the minimum wage from $6.50 to $7.00, Ohio conservatives are playing the
worst kind of cynical politics with worker's wages.
Corporate conservatives are trying a small increase in wages for a small number of workers to a bill to gut the state's worker compensation program. Does it get any more heinous? It does. Read on.
Many states have their own minimum wage laws. In some states, like Maine, these laws raise the standard even for workers covered by the federal minimum wage (a standard that hasn't been raised in years). In some cases, the laws simply provide protection for workers not protected by the federal law, workers including restaurant servers and workers at some small businesses.
In Ohio, reactionaries are working to increase the Ohio minimum wage law covering workers and small business employees to match the federal law.
What's wrong with a raise, you ask? Plenty, when it's done this way.
These jerks are using the minimum wage increase as an amendment to a bill that reduces worker compensation benefits for employees injured on the job. So they're tying a small pro-worker initiative that will have extremely limited impact to a larger heinous anti-worker bill in hopes of wedging progressives.
What's more, the bill removes anti-crony provisions in the worker compensation law that prevent investment of funds with campaign donors. If there's any state where such provisions are necessary, you'd think it would be the one that gave us Coingate.
But this is what it comes down to. These corporate conservatives who shill for their big-money backers know that their agenda is unpopular with most Americans, so they shroud it in fake pro-worker initiatives. Don't let them get away with it. Let your friends in Ohio know.
Update: I should note that there is lots more good information on state policy and you can sign up for updates at ProgressiveStates.org, the internet home of the Progressive Legislative Action Network.