Thousands gathered outside Walmart stores in 15 U.S. cities Thursday to protest low wages, poor benefits and intimidation in the largest demonstrations against the retailer since the protest on Black Friday in 2012. On a separate front, fast-food workers in Minnesota have not participated in any of the previous strikes, including the nationwide one-day demonstration last week that drew thousands of workers and their supporters in 60 cities, demanding $15 an hour wages and the right to form a union without intimidation.
Public demonstrations might be lagging in Minnesota, but elected representatives including Gov. Mark Dayton (DFL) have made it clear that they support increasing the minimum wage.
Most low-wage hourly workers believe that the federal $7.25 minimum wage is far too low, and according to an opinion poll released earlier this summer by Hart Research Association, 80 percent of Americans agree. There has been little activity in Congress to raise the minimum wage, which was last raised four years ago, so unions and living wage advocates say they hope to more successful fight for increases on the state level.
In Minnesota, a state with a strong union presence and a seemingly receptive legislature, demands for a pay increase could bear fruit in the upcoming 2014 legislative session, when a supportive Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party with a clear majority in the legislature could successfully raise the minimum wage.
Elected officials from the DFL — the state’s affiliate of the national Democratic Party — say they back the increase.
“My motivation is based upon the declining incomes for Minnesotans which is part of a national and even international trend. Working people are getting a smaller and smaller share of the wealth they create and median income has fallen by 10 percentage points. One reasonable estimate shows that 40 percent of jobs now pay less than living wage. Minnesota has one of the lowest state minimum wages in the country,” said state Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley), a sponsor of a minimum wage increase bill in the state House, in a statement to Mint Press News.
Picking the right battles
A majority of the 1.7 million people who attended the Minnesota State Fair this year support an wage increase, according to an opinion poll conducted during the fair. Many of those who attended were asked their opinions on a range of political issues, including the issue of raising the minimum wage.
Politics In Minnesota reports that 65 percent of respondents favor an increase from the current level to $9.50 for large employers, “large employers” meaning those taking in more than $625,000 in annual revenue. About 28 percent of those surveyed opposed the suggested change, with the remainder were unsure or undecided.
Although all minimum wage workers are guaranteed the federal level of $7.25 per hour, the Minnesota state minimum wage remains below this number — just $6.15 per hour for those employed by large employers, according to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
A majority of Minnesotans polled also favor mandatory background checks for firearms purchased at gun shows as well as legalizing marijuana for medical use, according to the same survey.
This means that public support is firmly behind a bill that already passed the state House during the previous legislative session calling for a minimum wage of $9.50 an hour for large businesses. Politics In Minnesota reports that during the same session, the state Senate passed a bill, authored by Sen. Chris Eaton (DFL-Brooklyn Center), which would raise the minimum wage to $7.75 per hour.
“These proposals are being driven mostly by the DFL and it would be surprising if they have any bipartisan support whatsoever. It seems to be one of those issues that will be one of the more contentious ones in the next legislative session,” Hamline University Professor David Schultz said in a statement to Mint Press News.
“We don’t have any firm numbers on what the exact impact will but, but clearly it will help many families. Moving it to $10 an hour doesn’t get us up to a living wage for a sole income producer in a household. Does it help? Yes. Will it hurt the economy? No,” said Schultz, an expert in government, nonprofit, and business ethics
Poverty in Minnesota
The debate over minimum wage increases occurs as charitable organizations and soup kitchens report surging numbers of people reliant on their services.
“We do everything from hot meals to holiday baskets and everything in between. Last year we served over 1,700 people young people representing about ¼ of the people in the state living with AIDS,” said Tim Marburger, director of fundraising and special events at the Aliveness Project, in a statement to Mint Press News.
The Aliveness Project, a charitable organization helping homeless people and poor residents suffering from HIV/AIDS, reports an increase in the number of residents requiring assistance. The organization has been operating in Minnesota with the help of federal funding and private donations since 1985.
“We were serving about 800 people increasing to over 1,700 people last year. We have seen more than double the need. Part of that has come because of the struggling economy, Marburger said.
Many Minnesotans who seek help are desperately poor or homeless, while many live on the edge of poverty and have the ability to pay rent but little else.
“When I hear stories about people who have enough to pay rent and not much else, or having to choose food over medications, I’m sure an increase in the minimum wage will allow them to live a fuller more dignified life,” Marburger said.
Support from labor
Any increase would be welcome for low-wage workers, but labor leaders believe that even a $3.25 increase will fall short of providing a living wage that allows an individual to support a family.
“Originally we started off with a bill at $10.50. As it wound through the House it got whittled down to $9.50,” said Bernie Hesse, director of special projects for the United Food and Commercial Workers local 1189, in a statement to Mint Press News. “It’s too little but we think it would impact low-wage workers’ lives.”
The UFCW is supporting the OUR Walmart campaign nationally — and in Minnesota where Walmart workers in St. Paul walked off the job Thursday as part of a national day of action demanding better working conditions. Hesse says that union support for that campaign as well as living wage increases “dovetail nicely with the demands of Walmart workers.”
“Our job in Minnesota is to work with workers at Walmart or Target — name your big-box retailer — and say, look, we can all do better. This increase will have an immediate impact on low-wage workers and their families. An increase in the minimum wage is not going to impact big-box retailers. They make plenty of money and can adjust their business plans appropriately,” Hesse said.
The fight to raise the minimum wage may be shifting to the state-level but may be confined mostly to states with clear Democratic majorities. “Clearly it depends. In the state of Minnesota, where there seems to be more support and the majority party supports [minimum wage hikes], it clearly makes sense to fight that battle,” Schultz said. “In Mississippi and Alabama, your prospects seem narrow.”