Senate Still Opposes Minimum Wage Hike
by CTNewsjunkie Staff | May 1, 2012 5:22pm
(4) Comments | Commenting has expired
Posted to: Business, Labor
Sen. President Donald Williams said he spoke with the 21 Democratic Senators Tuesday behind closed doors and discovered there isn’t enough support for the proposed two-year, 50 cent minimum wage hike.
“Barring some significant turnaround, we have a number of folks who would not support the minimum wage bill as it,” Williams said at the close of the session Tuesday. The number of Senators in the Democratic caucus who don’t support it is greater than four Williams confirmed, but he declined to give a specific number.
House Speaker Chris Donovan, who is also running for Congress, was the main proponent of the legislation. Williams said he texted Donovan to let him know the Senate caucus did not support the bill and was unlikely to take it up this year. Williams defended the use of texting as a way to convey the message to Donovan because he feared once Senators started to leave the caucus room word would leak out.
But Donovan, undeterred by the text, said he thinks the Senate has some misinformation about how the tip credit for waitresses and bartenders works and will work at getting the “correct information” to the Senate. Donovan said he remains confident the Senate will take up the bill this year.
“People said I didn’t have the votes in the House. We got 88 votes here,” Donovan said.
Last week at least half of the 22 Senators were still undecided about whether they could support the version passed last week by the House.
The opposition was centered around “the timing,” Williams said. “They felt the economic times were not right. They’ve supported minimum wage increases in the past. They strongly supported the Earned Income Tax Credit last year which provides a significant boost to low-income workers.”
The revised bill increases the minimum wage from $8.25 an hour to $8.50 an hour in the first year, and $8.75 an hour in the following year. Initially, the legislation would have increased the minimum wage to $9 per hour in the first year and $9.75 an hour in the second year, but House Speaker Chris Donovan agreed to alter the proposal in order to garner more support.
The revised version passed the House 88-62 last week and Donovan only lost 10 Democrats in the process.
House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk, who voted against a minimum wage hike, said he’s probably not as angry as Democratic legislators are who were forced to take the vote.
“They only did it with the assurance it was going to pass the House, Senate, and be signed by the governor,” Cafero said. “All that debate, all that vote, all the political expenditure was for naught.”
Sen. Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, said he’s not convinced the Senate will allow the minimum wage bill die. He said he’s seen his colleagues on the other side of the aisle change their votes on everything from the death penalty to tax increases either “because of political pressure or political convenience.”
“So I’m not going to hold my breath until midnight May 9,” he added.
Tags: minimum wage, House, Chris Donovan, Senate, Adam Joseph, dh
(4) Comments
posted by: Tessa Marquis | May 2, 2012 9:10am
There is no “right time” to do good. This is an issue that transcends the calendar. Let’s get this done and then get lower income folks to vote. That should balance out your fear of not getting re-elected.
posted by: AndersonScooper | May 2, 2012 11:18am
How many of State Senator Cassano’s employees get paid the minimum wage?
http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Cassano.php
he and his wife Holly operate The Children’s Place Inc., an 8,000 square-foot day care center in Manchester that has a staff of 35-40 employees who care daily for an average 100 children ranging in age from six weeks to six years old.
Here’s hoping Democrats in his district come to their senses and vote him out!
posted by: MadeInCT | May 2, 2012 2:41pm
So the answer is steal from the guy with all the responsibility and give the money to the people working for him.
I’ll support raising the minimum wage when YOU support raising my wages to match my employees.
posted by: GMR | May 2, 2012 4:07pm
Raising the minimum wage would is not “to do good.” It is to artificially set a price floor, which will result in weaker demand for labor. And while I don’t know Mr. Cassano’s business, if he raises the wages he pays out, he’ll have to raise the rates he charges his clients. Alternatively, if his employees can get more money elsewhere, they’ll leave and join another company.