Minimum wage increase rejected

BOISE – Legislation to raise the minimum wage by $1 died in committee on a 12-5 vote Thursday, less than two days after political maneuvering by Democrats forced Republicans to hear the bill.

House Bill 843 proposed raising the minimum wage to $6.15 an hour from the federally mandated $5.15 and adjusting it annually to match the inflation rate, as is done in Washington state.

The bill also sought to increase the amount of tips servers can take home, raise the minimum wage for young workers from $4.25 to $5.08 and to lower the age limit from 20 years to 18.

Idaho’s minimum wage hasn’t increased since the federal minimum wage increase forced it to in 1997. The minimum wage is $7.50 in Oregon and $7.63 in Washington, and Nevada voters will decide in November whether the state should increase its minimum wage, now $5.15 an hour.

“The minimum wage is not just about low-income workers, it is about fairness; it is about dignity, and it is about the worthiness of people and work” said Rep. Anne Pasley-Stuart, D-Boise, who sponsored the bill with Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow.

House leaders had refused to give the bill a hearing until Democrats brought the House to a standstill Tuesday by refusing to go along with the routine suspension of bill reading, meaning every bill had to be read out loud in its entirety before a vote could be taken.

Two days later, the bill was before the House State Affairs Committee.

Committee member Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, voted to send the bill to the full House without recommending that it pass. Because the bill has only been on the Legislature’s radar for a couple of days, Anderson said there wasn’t enough time to have a full debate.

He said he is undecided about the minimum wage issue, and sending the bill to the floor for further debate “would have allowed me to hear from more of my constituents,” Anderson said.

But the motion failed, as most committee members agreed with business interests that said increased wages only lead to increased prices and more unemployment.

Rep. Steve Smylie, R-Boise, said anyone who’s unhappy with how much money they’re making has the right to find a better job.

“This is America. If you’re being paid a poor wage, go out and get the extra training and improve your skills and find a better-paying job,” Smylie said. “That’s what the promise of America is all about.”

But former Sen. Gail Bray, D-Boise, questioned that logic during her testimony to the committee.

“Without sufficient income, just how are they supposed to do this?” Bray said.

Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, spoke in support of the bill, emphasizing an assertion that was restated by other bill proponents: Raising the minimum wage will decrease the number of people relying on taxpayer-funded social programs.

He also said the issue is about human dignity and the value of work.

“No employer should be allowed to unreasonably profit by exploiting the lack of negotiating power of low-wage workers,” Trail said.

But the current minimum wage is needed to allow businesses to hire the disabled and inexperienced who aren’t worth much, Smylie said.

Boise restaurant owner Mike Fitzgerald, vice president of the Idaho Lodging and Restaurant Association, agreed.

“Were it not for a decent minimum wage – which $5.15 is for a lot of those people who are learning – those people wouldn’t be working,” Fitzgerald said. Rep. George Sayler, D-Coeur d’Alene, expects raising the minimum wage will come up again next year.

“I think it just comes down to a basic issue of fairness and common sense,” Sayler said. “We want to value work.”