Guess who is exempt from the minimum wage?

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by marginalrevolution.com

Average wage in Northern Mariana: About half the U.S. federal minimum wage

so the minimum here goes from ~$2.50/hr to $7.50.

American Samoa? Yep, that's exempt from the minimum wage.

Why is this interesting?

Originally Posted by Washtimes

The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws.
One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi.

Way to go Dems, keep sticking up for the small guys (until it affect you of course).

[Scrum]

How does raising the minimum wage stick it to the small guys?

There is no evidence of job loss from the last minimum wage increase.

* A 1998 EPI study failed to find any systematic, significant job loss associated with the 1996-97 minimum wage increase. In fact, following the most recent increase in the minimum wage in 1996-97, the low-wage labor market performed better than it had in decades (e.g., lower unemployment rates, increased average hourly wages, increased family income, decreased poverty rates).
* Studies of the 1990-91 federal minimum wage increase, as well as studies by David Card and Alan Krueger of several state minimum wage increases, also found no measurable negative impact on employment.
* New economic models that look specifically at low-wage labor markets help explain why there is little evidence of job loss associated with minimum wage increases. These models recognize that employers may be able to absorb some of the costs of a wage increase through higher productivity, lower recruiting and training costs, decreased absenteeism, and increased worker morale.
* A recent Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) study of state minimum wages found no evidence of negative employment effects on small businesses.

Minimum Wage Issue Guide: Facts at a Glance

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

How does raising the minimum wage stick it to the small guys?


Minimum Wage Issue Guide: Facts at a Glance

Sticking up for the small guys - why would Mrs. Pelosi want the minimum to apply to EVERY territory, except for the one where ~75% of the workers happen to work for a company based in her district?

I think we should at least demand an explanation as to why Samoans aren't worthy of the same wage as the rest of us.

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by Phantom

Sticking up for the small guys - why would Mrs. Pelosi want the minimum to apply to EVERY territory, except for the one where ~75% of the workers happen to work for a company based in her district?

I think we should at least demand an explanation as to why Samoans aren't worthy of the same wage as the rest of us.

So she wrote the bill, passed it and signed it all on her own?

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

So she wrote the bill, passed it and signed it all on her own?

I really have no idea.

Aren't you at least curious why these people are not worthy, but persons in every other territory deserve this wage? It doesn't bother you that a company in her district seems to be the one that has weaseled its way out of paying its workers?

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by Phantom

I really have no idea.

Aren't you at least curious why these people are not worthy, but persons in every other territory deserve this wage? It doesn't bother you that a company in her district seems to be the one that has weaseled its way out of paying its workers?

I would expect other lawmakers to ask those questions before voting for the bill.

[Pro Street]

wait, Del Monte is in San Francisco, and that's how you tie this into the democrats?

what's with the constant reaching these days?

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by Pro Street

wait, Del Monte is in San Francisco, and that's how you tie this into the democrats?

what's with the constant reaching these days?

The tie-in is pretty clear. Star Kist's parent company is a San Fransisco land company represented by Pelosi. It was conveniently left out of the minimum wage bill.

Every other US territory is affected, but a company Pelosi represents in Samoa employs 75% of the territory and it is being excluded from the minimum wage bill. Even though most of the workers would be affected.

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

I would expect other lawmakers to ask those questions before voting for the bill.

So we should just ignore the people of Samoa and assume Congress had good reason to exempt them?

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by Phantom

So we should just ignore the people of Samoa and assume Congress had good reason to exempt them?

I would assume that there was some reason they were exempted, but I'm not sure if I would jump to the conclusion that there is corruption involved. Aren't these congressmen supposed to represent their districts? If her constituents didn't want Samoa added and she got that through, isn't that part of her job?

[Scrum]

And I think it's kind of silly that we have these territories at all (offtopic, i know).

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by Phantom

So we should just ignore the people of Samoa and assume Congress had good reason to exempt them?

As I recall, Samoa had different rules under the GOP as well

I don't believe there is enough of an economy to support that level of minimum wage, they have like what, 6,000 some workers, you can find a depressed coal town in PA that has more people than that

[Pro Street]

Originally Posted by JaJae

The tie-in is pretty clear. Star Kist's parent company is a San Fransisco land company represented by Pelosi. It was conveniently left out of the minimum wage bill.

Every other US territory is affected, but a company Pelosi represents in Samoa employs 75% of the territory and it is being excluded from the minimum wage bill. Even though most of the workers would be affected.

I hope you're kidding.

Pelosi represents a private company?

Is there anything that even REMOTELY connects Pelosi to that part of the bill? Or is this just as viable as any 9/11 conspiracy?

do you all even know where Samoa is?

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by Pro Street

I hope you're kidding.

Pelosi represents a private company?

Is there anything that even REMOTELY connects Pelosi to that part of the bill? Or is this just as viable as any 9/11 conspiracy?

If Pelosi didn't help company x, her seat would be in danger,

I mean, she only got 80% of the vote, the GOP got 11%, Libert 1%, Green 8%...obviously she is serious danger of losing her seat unless she does every dirty trick imaginable by Jajae to keep her seat

[Pro Street]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

If Pelosi didn't help company x, her seat would be in danger,

I mean, she only got 80% of the vote, the GOP got 11%, Libert 1%, Green 8%...obviously she is serious danger of losing her seat unless she does every dirty trick imaginable by Jajae to keep her seat

it's just funny as hell the amount of stretching I see here lately to even TRY to paint the dems in a bad light.

first it was "zomg the dems took a friday off!"

then it was "John Kerry sends out recycled xmas cars that will be thrown away!"

now this...

the GOP and its fanbase has hit a new low.

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by Pro Street

it's just funny as hell the amount of stretching I see here lately to even TRY to paint the dems in a bad light.

first it was "zomg the dems took a friday off!"

then it was "John Kerry sends out recycled xmas cars that will be thrown away!"

now this...

the GOP and its fanbase has hit a new low.

It's politics.

They think we are nitpicking when Delay got nailed in the Abramhoff scandle or Bush suspends habeas corpus.

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

And I think it's kind of silly that we have these territories at all (offtopic, i know).

I'm going to agree with you on this one. Can you imagine being a small business owner that all the sudden has to triple your employees wages because some asshole you didn't and couldn't vote for decided you had to do it? Wow...

[ballz2wallz]

Fishy.

House Republicans yesterday declared "something fishy" about the major tuna company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco district being exempted from the minimum-wage increase that Democrats approved this week.
"I am shocked," said Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican and his party's chief deputy whip, noting that Mrs. Pelosi campaigned heavily on promises of honest government. "Now we find out that she is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage. This is exactly the hypocrisy and double talk that we have come to expect from the Democrats."
On Wednesday, the House voted to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour.
The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws.
One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island's work force. StarKist's parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.
"There's something fishy going on here," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Republican.
During the House debate yesterday on stem-cell research, Mr. McHenry raised a parliamentary inquiry as to whether an amendment could be offered that would exempt American Samoa from stem-cell research, "just as it was for the minimum-wage bill."
A clearly perturbed Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who was presiding, cut off Mr. McHenry and shouted, "No, it would not be."
"So, the chair is saying I may not offer an amendment exempting American Samoa?" Mr. McHenry pressed.
"The gentleman is making a speech and will sustain," Mr. Frank shouted as he slammed his large wooden gavel against the rostrum.
Some Republicans who voted in favor of the minimum-wage bill were particularly irritated to learn yesterday -- after their vote -- that the legislation did not include American Samoa.
"I was troubled to learn of this exemption," said Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican. "My intention was to raise the minimum wage for everyone. We shouldn't permit any special favors or exemptions that are not widely discussed in Congress. This is the problem with rushing legislation through without full debate."
A spokeswoman for Mrs. Pelosi said Wednesday that the speaker has not been lobbied in any way by StarKist or Del Monte.

[Thorgrim]

What you quote seems to imply that it was the GOP's plan to not raise minimum wage in Samao in 1995, now in 2007 when the democrats do they complain because...what else are they going to do, no matter how ridiculous it sounds

[Rouger2]

I have a feeling that if the Samoans were to get the new minimum wage they would lose their tuna plants to cheap labor foreigners some where and that is why they want to exempt them. This is only my speculation.