It’s not every day that our legislative bodies increase the minimum wage or pass living wage bills, and after the D.C. City Council recently voted to pass a living wage bill, Mayor Vince Gray vetoed it. Because Wal Mart’s feelings were hurt.
In a letter sent to City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, DC Mayor Vince Gray (D) announced his veto of a living wage bill aimed at large employers on Thursday morning.
The bill would require retailers with $1 billion in sales or more with 75,000 square feet or larger to pay employees $12.50 an hour in combined wages and benefits with an exception for those that collectively bargain with workers. The existing minimum wage in the city is $8.25 an hour, and increasing the wage to $12.50 would raise annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage worker from about $17,000 to $26,000.
The good news is the city council is planning to override Gray’s veto, however at least one council member among the five who voted against it will have to change their mind for it to pass.
Wal Mart calls living wage legislation “discriminatory,” because being forced to pay people a living wage is just punishing success, right?
The 2012 election was more or less centered entirely around whether we should “punish success” or not, and I believe punishing success won. It was kind of a no-brainer since the Republicans chose to nominate the poster child of Success.
Wal Mart threatening to leave the area if they have to pay their workers enough to live on should offend any public servant who claims to represent their constituents, but this is America.