Rep. Rashida Tlaib doesn’t think the $15 minimum wage Democrats are advocating is good enough.
The Michigan lawmaker is now calling for a $20 an hour minimum wage, disregarding the devastating impact it would have on small businesses and effectively volleying the topic into next week’s Democratic primary debates.
(Video: YouTube/America Rising)
Tlaib declared that the $15 minimum wage is just a starting point as she told an audience Sunday at the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Michigan and the labor rights group One Fair Wage that workers should fight for $18 to $20 an hour.
“Tipped employees make $2.13 per hour, federally,” she said, referring to restaurant workers at the Detroit event which was recorded by America Rising, the conservative political action committee.
“Think about that for one minute. People cannot live on those kind of wages, and I can’t allow people to be living off tips, you know, relying on tips for wages. It’s just not enough to support our families,” she said at the event for One Fair Wage, a campaign to “pass legislation in cities and states that will require the restaurant industry to pay all its employees at least the full minimum wage.”
— Ed Alisauskas (@SecureLegacy) July 22, 2019
“By the way, when we started it, it should have been $15. Now I think it should be $20 — make sure America Rising hears that. It should be $20 an hour, $18 to $20 an hour at this point,” she added. “They say all of this is going to raise the cost, but I can tell you, milk has gone up, eggs has gone up, everything has gone up. The cost of a lot of things that we need has gone up already.”
Tlaib decided to show her solidarity by waitressing – for an entire hour – all while being paid as a congresswoman on the taxpayers’ dime.
Fighting for our working families sometimes means walking in their shoes. It was only for an hour, but it was hard work. @HouseDemocrats passed #Fightfor15 #OneFairWage & now the Senate needs to.
Thank you to @onefairwage for inviting me into your movement. pic.twitter.com/POihHhC7kE
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) July 22, 2019
The far-left Democrat’s proposal comes ahead of next week’s primary debates, setting the stage for 2020 Democratic candidates to have to address the radical idea. Her comments also come on the heels of last week’s 231-199 party-line vote as the House passed legislation more than doubling the current rate of $7.25 to $15 an hour.
Just last week, 2020 contender Sen. Bernie Sanders – who has long championed the $15 minimum wage – had to cut his own staff’s hours to ensure they were making the equivalent of that hourly wage.
Bernie Sanders campaign drowns in irony, says it will cut hours to pay staffers $15 minimum wage https://t.co/UL6Kk7TDyX
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) July 21, 2019
Tlaib, one of the progressive freshman “squad” of congresswomen embroiled in a war of words with President Trump recently, was criticized for her remarks Sunday which pushed her farther to the left of other prominent Democrats.
With the Congressional Budget Office concluding a study which indicated a $15 federal minimum wage could leave up to 3.7 million people unemployed, the president of the Job Creators Network added that Tlaib’s radical proposal is not sustainable.
“America can’t afford a $15 minimum wage, never mind $20,” Alfredo Ortiz, president of the Job Creators Network, Alfredo Ortiz told the Washington Free Beacon.
“It’s a shame Rep. Tlaib didn’t hear that Bernie Sanders is cutting his staff’s hours to meet their demands for a $15 minimum wage,” Ortiz said. “If she won’t listen to job creators about the unintended consequences of a higher minimum wage, maybe she’ll listen to a socialist politician.”
Conservative commentators mocked the freshman Democrat for her idea.
“Why not $20?” Town Hall Editor and Fox News contributor Guy Benson tweeted. “Or $50? Go, Rashida, Go!”
Why not $20? Or $50?? Go, Rashida, Go! https://t.co/adrKI5j1JL
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) July 22, 2019
Others quickly joined the pile-up.
Dems: A $15 minimum wage is a human right.
GOP: No no this actually is a misguided and bad idea that will destroy 3.7 million jobs. Low-skilled workers and the poor will be disportionately hurt.
Tlaib: Hold my beer. https://t.co/x4sUhHvd58
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) July 23, 2019
These radical Democratic policy proposals are the political equivalent of the pitch for the Fyre Festival.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) July 22, 2019
And who does this genius think will pay $10 for a Big Mac? I didn’t think it was possible but there is someone dumber than @AOC ?
— ugotem (@ugotem1) July 22, 2019
Obviously, she knows nothing about running a business. These liberals they love telling people what to do with their own money.
— Tweetheart ?? (@tweetheart2019) July 23, 2019
This is called the How To Make Everyone Under 25 Unemployable Act. https://t.co/LjBmssSGwH
— Marcus (@MarcusHUSA) July 22, 2019
Didn’t Bernie just teach us if you do that you just get your hours cut instead of getting a raise? Which is exactly what conservatives have been saying for… well… ever.
— Trey Best (@TreyBest6) July 22, 2019
Boss: “The government here just ordered me to raise your wages from $12 to $20/hr.”
Worker: “Yippee! More money for me! Why, in a 40 hour work week, I’ll make…!”
Boss: “That’s the next thing. I’m cutting your hours to 20 hours a week so I don’t have to fire you.”
— Brian Cates (@drawandstrike) July 22, 2019
Why stop at 20? Let’s go $100/hr min. wage!! #FightFor100
— Misty Callahan (@MistyACallahan) July 22, 2019
Why stop at $20/hour? Why not $30?
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 22, 2019
How is someone supposed to support their family on a measly $20/hour? It should be $1,000/hour so we can all be rich!
— Scully ?? (@dhighway61) July 22, 2019
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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