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Showing Original Post only (View all)Democrats back $15 minimum wage, but stalemate on Social Security [View all]
Source: The Washington Post
By David Weigel July 9 at 2:07 AM
ORLANDO The Democratic National Committee added a call for a $15 minimum wage to its 2016 platform, a victory for progressives produced by a deal between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Just an hour later, however, Clinton-loyal members of the platform committee defeated two amendments that would have committed the party to expanding Social Security a moment marked by cries of "Shame!" and "Are you Democrats?" from Sanders supporters sitting in the observation area of the Hilton where the party was meeting.
The minimum wage plank sailed through early, after Nina Turner, a prominent Sanders from Ohio, introduced and opened it for friendly amendments. Mary Kay Henry, the president of the Service Employees International Union, quickly obliged, and the new language eliminated wiggle room over when the party would favor a doubling of the wage.
The language at the start of the day was as follows:
Democrats believe that the current minimum wage is a starvation wage and must be increased to a living wage. No one who works full time should have to raise a family in poverty. We believe that Americans should earn at least $15 an hour and have the right to form or join a union. We applaud the approaches taken by states like New York and California. We should raise and index the minimum wage, give all Americans the ability to join a union regardless of where they work, and create new ways for workers to have power in the economy. We also support creating one fair wage for all workers by ending the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers and people with disabilities.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/09/democrats-back-15-minimum-wage-but-stalemate-on-social-security/