County Dems look to influence state Convention
BRIGHTON – A resolution unanimously approved by the Livingston County Democratic Party at its semi-annual county convention hopes to tie future minimum wage increases to pay raises for the Michigan House and Senate.
Precinct delegates and party members gathered at the party’s headquarters in Brighton for the county convention Saturday to consider the resolution and to credential delegates for the state convention set for next Saturday and Sunday Aug. 26-27. The Fairness in Wages Resolution that was approved will be sent to the state party to be considered by the Platform Committee at the Democratic State Convention and State Central Committee Meeting to be held at the Cobo Conference and Exhibition Center in Detroit.
The resolution was jointly drafted by the party’s three candidates for the Livingston County state Legislative Delegation: Mary Andersson, candidate for the 47th District seat in the state House; Donna Anderson, candidate for the 22nd District seat in the state Senate; and Mike McGonegal, candidate for the 66th District seat in the state House.
The Democratic Party had organized a successful petition drive that would have placed the question on the ballot to raise the minimum wage to $7 an hour and tie periodic increase to the rate of inflation. However, the Legislature approved an increase in the minimum wage to $6.95 an hour in April when it saw the petition drive would be successful, but it does not have any mechanism for increasing the minimum wage.
The minimum wage was last increased eight years ago, despite inflation increasing every year and eroding the buying power of the lowest wage earners every year. The resolution would insure that if the Legislature voted itself a cost of living increase or other raise the minimum wage would also see a similar increase. It will also help stem the deplorable situation that occurred in 2001 when the Legislature voted themselves a 38 percent wage hike.
“This is a resolution about simple fairness, and we don’t begrudge anyone getting a modest raise to keep up with inflation, even Legislators,” said Joe Carney, chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party. “But when the House and Senate decide to vote themselves a salary raise, they will also be helping Michigan’s lowest paid workers and their families.”
posted by Communications guru @ 5:16 PM
1 Comments:
Guru, As per your above comments on Chris Ward doing nothing to help our great state then one must assume that you are for Dick DeVos as our current Governor has done nothing to help our great state.
· Michigan has lost a higher percentage of manufacturing jobs since 2000 than any other state. More than 75 percent of the residents say the state is on the wrong track, the worst case of pessimism in Michigan in 20 years.
· About one in five children in Michigan lived in poverty, up from six years ago.
· Almost a third of the state's African Americans lived below the poverty level.
· Detroit remained one of the poorest big cities in the country with almost a third of its residents living below the poverty line.
· Cities and townships posted drops in median household incomes ranging from 24 percent to 6 percent and poverty rates increased in all but three cities.
· Detroit, with 31 percent of its residents living below the poverty line, remains one of the poorest big cities in the country, neck and neck with Cleveland at 32 percent of its residents living in poverty.
· Michigan has lost one job for every 10 minutes Granholm's been in office.
Sharon Parks, a spokeswoman for the Michigan League for Human Services, a Lansing-based anti-poverty group. "What's more important is the poverty rate. It's an indication of the level of need out there that is not being addressed. It should serve as a real wake-up call."
The poverty rates in a number of Michigan counties were significantly higher than the statewide average of 13.2 percent in 2005, including Muskegon County, with a poverty rate of 14.9 percent. Isabella County in mid-Michigan had the highest rate at 24.2 percent, followed by Wayne (19.5 percent), Berrien (18.9 percent), Ingham (18.8 percent) and Saginaw (17.5 percent).
The child poverty rate, covering children 18 years or younger was 21.3 percent in Muskegon County, higher than the state average of 18.5 percent. It was the highest in Berrien County in southwest Michigan at 30.6 percent. The remaining four counties in the top five for child poverty were Wayne (29.1 percent), Van Buren (25 percent), Saginaw (24.9 percent) and Genesee (23.6 percent).
http://www.livingstondaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060903/NEWS01/609030308/1002
From Argus 9/3/06
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