Maggie says:
In news that I truly hope upsets the stomachs of minimum wage opponents who insist that Albuquerque will lose all of its business to Rio Rancho, the closest municipality now without a minimum wage hike, I offer this:
ABQ JournalI'm sure the new Wal-Mart in Rio Rancho just loves this.
RR Could Get Minimum Wage Hike
Rio Rancho might be the next New Mexico city to adopt a higher minimum wage.
Mayor Kevin Jackson said he plans to form a task force to study possible options for raising the minimum wage in Rio Rancho. The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour.
"We are in a unique situation with the actions in Santa Fe and Albuquerque," Jackson said on Monday. "We need to start looking at what we can do on this issue."
....
"We are going to be next in going up in minimum wage," local AFSCME President Cindy Benz said Monday. "I can't wait because, if the city of Rio Rancho is going to be as visionary as they want to be, they are going to have to put their money where their mouth is."
And I hope minimum wage naysayers are taking note. Albuquerque passed its minimum wage hike just last week, and already neighborhoring municipalities are jumping on board wanting to compete - not with lower wages and worse conditions for workers, as "free marketers" claimed they would - but on the high road, with better wages and better conditions.
To quote a fellow local blogger who comes from the other side of the minimum wage debate, I'm not sure that's exactly laughter I'm hearing out of Rio Rancho, Mr. Outback.
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