Sanders affirms Jodi Ernst's amendment, calls for an incremental approach to the $15 minimum wage

[lapucelle]

Sanders, the Senate Budget chairman, successfully defused a fight late Thursday over Biden’s proposal to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

At issue was a non-binding budget amendment from Senator Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, that opposed raising the wage “during a global pandemic.”

While Sanders said he still intends to increase the wage to $15 an hour in the virus relief package, he said his plan always called for a five year phase-in. He said the $15 wage would be in place five years from now, not during the pandemic itself, so he would support Ernst’s amendment.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-04/romney-proposes-expanding-child-tax-credit-stimulus-update

[jorgevlorgan]

1. Sanders is a smart cookie

That being said, outsmarting joni ernst doesn't seem like a formidable task.

[lapucelle]

5. We realized in 2016 that an incremental approach was the best tactic for achieving the policy goal

of a $15/hr minimum wage here in NYS thanks to the leadership of Democrat Andrew Cuomo.

I have to chuckle a bit when the NYT characterizes the governor who brought NYS a $15 minimum wage, free community college and state university, a gold standard paid family leave act, and gender pay parity as a "pragmatic centrist".

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/11/nyregion/andrew-cuomo-and-15-minimum-wage-new-york-state-workers.html

[SharonAnn]

22. If it's "phased in" over 5 years, then the end amount should $18-$20 an hour.

[NurseJackie]

2. Wait, huh, what?

he said his plan always called for a five year phase-in.

That's not how I remember it. What I do remember is the "we-want-it-right-fucking-now" angry and divisive demands have always been used as a bludgeon against Democrats and the Democratic party leadership. I wish that today's realistic approach had been adopted and promoted much sooner... for obvious reasons.

[Demsrule86]

6. Replace Sanders with Manchin...how do you suppose it would have been received?

And Manchin at least wanted $11.00 right away.

[NurseJackie]

18. I shudder to think.

[Demsrule86]

29. That is exactly right. But I am actually disappointed. It is beyond unfair to not at least raise it

to $11.00 right now.

[BarackTheVote]

16. Funny, because Sanders was just on The View

Thursday morning saying his plan was incremental.

[George II]

3. What's interesting is that Biden's proposal, $15 by 2025, is one year SOONER than Sanders'.

[betsuni]

4. Oh, now incremental is fine.

[NurseJackie]

8. I know, right?

[muriel_volestrangler]

19. Sanders proposed raising it to $15 *in steps over five years* in 2015

https://grijalva.house.gov/press-releases/senator-sanders-congressional-progressive-caucus-introduce-bill-raise-federal-minimum (along with the Congressional Progressive Caucus)

and in 2016: https://www.politifact.com/article/2016/may/09/fact-checking-minimum-wage-debate/

By 2017, his proposal was for it to happen by 2024: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/4/26/15435578/senate-democrats-minimum-wage

And in 2019, it was also by 2024: https://www.vox.com/2019/4/30/18522505/candidates-position-15-dollar-minimum-wage

[NurseJackie]

20. My head is spinning.

[muriel_volestrangler]

21. Maybe the '"we-want-it-right-fucking-now" angry and divisive demands' didn't come from Sanders?

There seems to have been a steady proposal from the progressives in Congress to raise it in stages over 5 years or so. This has become increasingly popular in the Democratic party as a whole. There were, no doubt, some people outside Congress demanding it happen quicker.

[George II]

24. I found it very interesting that within a couple of hours from when Biden proposed $15 by 2025....

....two key Sanders "surrogates", Susan Sarandon and Brianna Gray (his former National Press Secretary) started demanding "$25 by 25" (i.e., 2025)

[Celerity]

26. yes, it always was going to be done incrementally as far as I know, even from Bernie

thanks for the links

[George II]

23. Sanders' LATEST proposal, just months ago and even recently, was to raise it to $15 by 2026....

Biden has gone one year better, by 2025.

[ismnotwasm]

15. Yeah, I'm really at a loss for words here

[Mariana]

31. When wasn't it fine?

This is from 2015:

The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour. Mr. Sanders’s proposal would raise it incrementally until 2020, when it would hit $15.

https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/07/22/bernie-sanders-proposes-federal-minimum-wage-of-15-an-hour/

[BlueIdaho]

7. 5 years? Seriously?

We need it NOW!

[NurseJackie]

9. That may be true, but that's not how things work.

We need it NOW!

That may be true, but that's not how things work.

[BlueIdaho]

11. Oh I know...

I live in Idaho where the minimum wage is $7.25/hour. Many businesses that are regional or national pay more, but plenty of folks are really struggling here.

[NurseJackie]

12. Yep... I wish there were "instant" solutions too.

But, things are on the right track. The solutions may not get here as soon as we'd like them to... but the ARE coming.

I'm optimistic about the future. I'm eager also, it's hard to be patient... but I'm still optimistic.

[Demsrule86]

30. We should never stretch things out beyond four years...we have four years in a presidential term;we

don't want the next administration to come in a get rid of it...this was done with healthcare I believe I can't remember who did it...

[NurseJackie]

32. Although the need is instant, it's impractical (or impossible) to implement such things...

We should never stretch things out beyond four years...

We really have no choice. These are the compromises that must be made if anything is to happen at all. Finding common ground and negotiating and wheeling and dealing and working together isn't always pleasant (or fast). It's slow and tedious and painful and frustrating. But, in the end, it's better than doing nothing.

Although the need is instant, it's impractical (or impossible) to implement such things overnight. Even if we had a filibuster-proof majority in congress, it wouldn't change how big changes like this need to be rolled out over time and incrementally. These things must be done delicately and with all due care and planning if they are to be successful.

[Demsrule86]

34. I would like to see the $11.00 now and $15.00 phased in in four years.

But we can only do what we have the votes for.

[BlueIdaho]

33. I agree!

I could not be happier with the great job our elected Democrats are doing - especially the work of our tireless President. I am with him all the way!

[Demsrule86]

35. I absolutely agree...we elect them and then must trust them.

[Turin_C3PO]

14. It's probably the only way

we can get an increase passed. I assume the minimum wage will go up every year until it hits $15.

[George II]

25. If the demand is simply "now" it will wind up being "never".

[Sogo]

10. Five years?!

By then it will need to be $20.

[BarackTheVote]

17. It needs to be $22 NOW to have kept up with inflation

The minimum wage really needs to be something that’s automatically adjusted yearly. It makes no sense to come begging every ten or twenty years because by then, it’s been so outpaced that people have become desperate for years. And then, when you finally come back to try to get a hike, the other side balks so bad at the sticker price that you’re lucky to get anything.

Small incremental, predictable increases every year is clearly the best approach. So why don’t we just do it?

[leftstreet]

27. +1

[Sogo]

28. Great points! We should do that!

[Johnny2X2X]

13. It will never pass as a standalone bill!!!

Only chance it had was to be part of something bigger like this. And what was in it wasn't immediate at all, it was already incremental.

Bernie should have taken the $11 Manchin was offering, because there is a 99% certainty now that 4 years from now the Federal Minimum wage will still be $7.25.