Dear neighbor,
Today the House voted to impose an increase in the minimum wage from $6.15 per hour to $9.50 per hour. I had several groups contact me in opposition to this legislation including the Minnesota Grocers Association, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce, and the Care Providers of Minnesota. While proponents of the minimum wage increase believe it will put more money into the pockets of workers, it actually will eliminate job opportunities for those who need jobs the most. According to the Minnesota Chamber, such an increase will lead to fewer working hours, layoffs, and a dramatic reduction in entry-level jobs. A recent Wall Street Journal column called an increase in the minimum wage the “The Minority Youth Unemployment Act” and noted that after the July 2009 increase in the federal minimum wage, 600,000 teen jobs disappeared even though GDP expanded. As a mom, I always encouraged my kids to get a part- time job when they were in school. With such a drastic increase in the minimum wage, now fewer of those jobs will be available for our kids. I voted no on this bill. Our hardworking taxpayers can’t afford the avalanche of anti-job policies coming out of Democrats in St. Paul.
On Thursday night, the House Ways and Means Committee voted to move the childcare unionization bill – House File 950 – to the House floor. I strongly oppose this attempt by AFSCME to extract union dues out of hard-working childcare providers (most of whom are women). Under this proposal, unionized childcare providers would have to pay $300 in union dues annually. If you take that $300 figure and multiply it by 11,000 providers, that’s $3.3 million for union coffers and their political activities. Little kids and the hard-working people who take care of them during the day do not deserve to be caught up in this power grab by union leadership. You can be assured I will fight against this proposal, but if you live outside my district please contact your legislators and tell them to vote no on unionizing childcare providers.
The end of the 2013 session is getting close with the May 20 adjournment deadline. I’ll continue to keep you updated on what’s happening in St. Paul. Have a great weekend! I hope the weather begins to warm again.
I am always interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Peggy.Scott@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-4231. You can also send me mail to my office address: 201 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Sincerely,
Peggy