10 Bright Spots in the Election

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http://www.alternet.org/election-2014/10-bright-spots-election



1. Minimum wage increases. The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour for years—and it is third of that for tipped workers. But states can raise it, and some states allow its cities to do likewise. Four red states passed minimum wage increases, from $8.50 in Arkansas by 2017 (where its Democratic U.S. Senator lost his re-election), to $9.75 in Alaska by 2016. South Dakota and Nebraska also raised their minimum wage. Wisconsin voters (who re-elected their rightwing governor) also passed a non-binding measure calling for a $10 wage. At the city level, San Francisco passed a $15 wage by 2018, and nearby Oakland passed $12.50 by 2015. It is estimated that more than 600,000 workers will benefit from these increases.

2. Paid Sick Leave. The other big demand of low-wage workers, especially in fast food jobs, is paid sick leave. On this front, while Massachusetts’ voters elected a Republican governor, they also passed a ballot measure guaranteeing paid sick leave to an estimated 1 million workers. In local voters in three cities, voters did likewise: Trenton, New Jersey; Montclair, New Jersey; and Oakland, California, where the vote expands a state paid sick leave law. The third state that has paid sick leave is Connecticut, as do New York City and Portland, Oregon.

3. Abortion rights upheld. Here again, voters in two states that sent right-wingers to the Senate strongly rejected so-called personhood measures that would have granted legal rights to fertilized eggs. Colorado voter for the third federal election in a row to reject “personhood,” as did nearly two-thirds of North Dakota voters. Three years ago, Mississippi also rejected personhood.

4. Gun control expanded. Every so often the National Rifle Association loses a big gun control fight and that’s exactly what happened in Washington where 60 percent of voters passed a ballot measure extending background checks to all gun sales and transfers. It contained exceptions for transfers between family members and temporary loans for sporting or self-defense purposes. The state has seen some ferocious gun-control fights, such as 1994 election where then-House Speaker Tom Foley lost his seat after being attacked him for passing two gun laws. Meanwhile, in Colorado and Connecticut two Democratic governors who had passed gun control laws after the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting were re-elected.