Harris unveils support for $15 minimum wage after slamming Trump's McDonald's visit

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CNN Politics

Updated 2:34 PM EDT, Wed October 23, 2024


CNN — Vice President Kamala Harris said for the first time Tuesday that she backs hiking the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour after blasting former President Donald Trump for dodging a question about whether he wants to raise it. As the two rivals race to win over voters in the final weeks of the campaign, Harris and Trump have both tried to demonstrate their support for working-class Americans.

The federal minimum wage – which has been stuck at $7.25 since 2009 – has become a talking point recently, especially after Trump temporarily worked as a fry attendant at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania on Sunday. While Harris has said for months that she would push to raise the minimum wage, she did not specify a threshold until asked by NBC News on Tuesday. “At least $15 an hour, but we’ll work with Congress, right? That’s something that is going through Congress,” Harris told NBC as part of its interview with the candidate.

Trump, however, didn’t answer directly when asked during his brief stint at McDonald’s whether he thinks the federal minimum wage should be lifted, saying “Well, I think this: I think these people work hard, they’re great.” Asked to respond to Harris’ support for a $15 minimum wage, the Trump campaign cited a statement from Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelly that accused Harris of “lowering real wages and raising prices via reckless spending.”

Harris took Trump’s punt as opportunity on Monday to show the contrast between her and her Republican rival, though she did not reveal at that time how high she would want to raise the threshold. “So, there is a big difference between Donald Trump and me on a number of issues, including this, where I absolutely believe we must raise minimum wage and that hardworking Americans, whether they’re working at McDonald’s or anywhere else, should have at least the ability to be able to take care of their family and take care of themselves in a way that allows them to actually be able to sustain their needs,” she said ahead of a campaign stop in Michigan.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/23/politics/federal-minimum-wage-harris-trump/index.html

[4lbs]

1. Here in CA, the min wage is $16 per hour, and there is a state ballot measure

that would raise it to $17 beginning Jan 1, 2025, and $18 in 2026.

This is for EVERYONE. Not just those with "businesses of at least 20 employees" or whatever that number is this time. However, larger businesses would go to $18 almost immediately (Jan 1, 2025) while the rest would happen by 2026.

I believe it is called Prop 32.

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/2024-california-propositions/proposition-32-minimum-wage-california/3653351/

By Ian Cull and Andrew Mendez •
Published September 16, 2024 •
Updated on September 16, 2024 at 12:33 pm

....

If passed, nearly 2 million workers would stand to make an extra $3,000 annually, in theory, providing a significant boost to their livelihoods, according to Sanberg.

The proposal came after other minimum wage laws were changed in the state.

Last year, unions secured a $25 an hour rate for healthcare workers, and this year, fast-food workers saw a wage increase to $20 per hour. Some cities, like Berkeley and San Francisco, have already moved ahead of the state's $16 an hour minimum rate to pay more than $18 an hour.

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Obviously, I voted YES on it.

[paleotn]

2. Admirable, but not applicable to MS, WV, OH.......

Harris's idea will drag them all kicking and screaming to a fairer wage for all.

Azure blue as we are, we're still phasing in $15 an hour here in VT a little at a time. You can't imagine the caterwauling when it was proposed in Montpelier. And not just from conservatives.

[JoseBalow]

3. Where in America is $15 a living wage?