How Obama can bypass Tea Party Congress (and raise fast food worker wages)
Source: Salon.com
Rep. Raul Grijalva tells Salon that House Democrats are asking "why the hell he just doesn't do it!"
Josh Eidelson
The White House has offered no response to a months-old call from congressional Democrats to bypass Congress and use executive action to raise workers wages, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus told Salon Tuesday afternoon.
It wasnt responded to, said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. I mean, the response would have been, Were working on it, were looking into it, We feel its a good idea, or, No, were not going to do it. Any of those is a response. We received none of that. Grijalva pledged that, starting with a Thursday rally at the National Air and Space Museum, congressional progressives would become much more public and much more insistent in pressing the president to act. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Grijalva and 49 House Democrats wrote to Obama in September to urge he use executive authority to require better labor standards for workers employed through federal government contracts with private companies. That letter followed a prior July letter by Grijalva and others, and a handful of one-day strikes since May by cleaning and concessions workers in D.C. federal buildings. A report by the progressive think tank Demos estimated that about 2 million workers with taxpayer-funded jobs make $12 an hour or less.
As Ive reported, striking workers have also alleged violations of federal law, spurring a Department of Labor investigation and securing a meeting with the administrator of the General Services Administration. The work stoppages were part of an effort backed by the Service Employees International Union, which is also the key national player behind the wave of one-day fast food strikes, which organizers have promised will escalate to involve 100 cities Thursday.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/12/04/how_obama_can_bypass_tea_party_congress_and_raise_fast_food_worker_wages/
(Credit: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/John Minchillo)
Vincardog
(20,234 posts)suggests, unless that suggestion is approved by the money men.
Has he taken any banker to trial yet?
Blanket Statements
(556 posts)He cannot compel contractors to raise wages for contract services provided to the government.
There is a signed agreement and funding amounts for the contract
BumRushDaShow
(128,979 posts)Congress must approve that through their power of the purse (which is why we have had a 3 year pay freeze).
happyfunball
(80 posts)While I'm in favor of raising wages...I'm concerned about expanding the power of the executive at the expense of Congress.
Do we really want a system in which we effectively elect a king every 4 years?
AAO
(3,300 posts)I was complaining about the extensive use of executive orders and signing statements back then.
Look, the use of it as a Republican talking point, and whether it is a good point are totally independent things.
cosmicone
(11,014 posts)and he would be painted as authoritarian dictator.
There are few votes to be gained by this and many small business owners would hate him. He won't go at it alone.
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)HomerRamone
(1,112 posts)I don't complain about service from people who aren't even making enough to stay off government assistance, and many of them have to eat "the customer is always right" shit or get fired on top of that...
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)They always get my order right and the food is always perfectly done there.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)randome
(34,845 posts)It's a foolish notion. Sort of like, 'Why don't you tell us what's really in Area 51?'
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Precision and concision. That's the game.[/center][/font][hr]
Arkana
(24,347 posts)If Obama is going to do this, it should have the full force of law--not the whim of the executive. You don't fuck around with people's livelihoods like that.
SpcMnky
(73 posts)Raise it to $20 an hour, now that would be a serious stimulus to the economy
godevil10
(63 posts)to cough up the money/taxes? The money has to come from somewhere, right?
Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)Then we'd have better workers in there. And then they'd finally be able to understand what "hold the mustard" means. Jeepers! Is it really that hard to take a customer order?