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Politics

John Morgan Launches Citizens' Initiative to Raise Florida's Minimum Wage

July 23, 2019 - 6:00am
John Morgan
John Morgan

Prominent Orlando attorney John Morgan announced Monday in Miami the formal launch of Florida for a Fair Wage, a campaign to raise the minimum wage in Florida via a 2020 citizens-initiated ballot initiative. 

Morgan's committee said in a press statement, the attorney's Fair Wage amendment would increase the minimum wage by slightly more than $1 an hour to $10 per hour in 2021, then increase the hourly pay by $1 per hour each year until it gradually reaches $15 per hour in 2026. After 2026, Florida’s minimum wage would increase with the rate of inflation, just as the state’s Constitution currently requires. Florida’s current minimum wage is $8.46 per hour.

In an email to supporters, Morgan said, “There is no doubt in my mind that is an uphill battle. But just like there were hundreds of thousands of families with sick children or parents that needed medical marijuana, there are hundreds of thousands of Floridians earning the minimum wage who cannot afford to live in Florida. We must fight so that all Floridians can have the dignity of earning a fair wage for a hard day's work.

Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ has endorsed the Fair Wage Amendment.

“SEIU 32BJ is committed to working with our members to pass the Fair Wage Amendment so we can ensure all Floridians can have the dignity of earning a living wage," said Helene O'Brien, SEIU 32BJ’s Florida director. “There are over 200,000 Floridians earning minimum wage. Many of them - like Monique Ford - simply cannot sustain a family on those wages,” added O'Brien.

“I’m homeless and I have a job. How is that possible?” said Monique Ford, a cleaner for Coastal Building Maintenance and mother-to-be. “I’m just one of many Floridians who are struggling to raise a family on the minimum wage. We all deserve fair wages for our hard work.”

In order to appear on the 2020 ballot, Florida for a Fair Wage needs to collect and verify 766,200 petitions from registered Florida voters. According to the Division of Elections, 363,157 petitions have been verified so far. In the email, John Morgan said, “We still need to collect another 200,000 petitions.”

Florida for a Fair Wage’s mission is to guarantee a living wage for all Floridians. Attorney John Morgan is Chairman of the organization.

Comments

I wonder ifMr. Morgan pays $15.00 per hour, like Big Bernie does?

Perhaps they can take the money for the $15/hr. min. wage from the 115+ million dollar tax rebate that Amazon got on over $80 billion in profit last year thanks to the great Trump tax cuts, or GE, or Boeing, etc., etc., etc.

Or better yet, we can confiscate all the money from those companies, then shut those evil companies down, and then redistribute the money at the border to the illegals.

Even in Florida, after payroll deductions, $15 per hour is NOT a 'living wage'. This country has been suffering Reagan's "trickle-down economics" and a drastically-increasing wealth gap for 40 years. Additionally, in terms of spendable dollars adjusted for inflation, the American worker's income hasn't increased appreciably since 1973. $15 per hour will help - but it won't put a big dent into the 40 years of everyday working Americans being short-changed.

Then tell us, oh brilliant one, what the correct amount for minimum hourly wage should be. What is that fantasy/cure-all amount? Or are you just blathering?

Ask your local mortgage underwriter or the owners of large commercial apartment complexes, Mindy! It takes gross pay of a minimum of about $47,000 for someone to reasonably make a roughly $1,000 monthly rental or mortgage payment. $20 per hour for someone who works 40 hour weeks and gets paid for 52 weeks totals a gross pay of $41,600. Not quite enough. PLUS it's almost impossible to find a decent two-bedroom apartment in Florida for $1,000 monthly - and even more difficult to find a decent house that comes in at $1,000 monthly (assuming a 20% down payment) in principal, interest, taxes, and insurance - plus maintenance - plus utilities. Obviously, you're just an uninformed GOP or Trump bot, Mindy.

Morgan, the "cheeky champion" of self-described, down-trodden, "victims" of EVERYBODY ELSE IN SOCIETY who ISN'T "on meds", and has studied, prepared, and WORKED long hours just to face an unsure (but secure) future for themselves and their families. Morgan would do well to "spread his fortune" throughout his "Native State", rather than trying to "milk those Natives" to impress his "whining, pot-smoking base", and "whipping them up on fools errands"!

Huh???

Beaver: Jee Wally, why can't they just raise minimum wage to $100 per hour so everyone can make a lot of money? Wally: You must be a Democrat Beav.

Undoubtedly ALL wages will have to rise in concert with this "Blind" performance of trying to "Equalize" wages. I would like to see Attorneys Fees be regulated also!! Why should a Victim of a Tragic Accident have to give 40% of their (eventual), "Award" to an Attorney???. What suffering did the Attorney have to endure??? .....The bottom line is that many Skilled workers will now be on Par (or even lower), with wages that Unskilled workers will be getting, (@ $15.00 an Hr.),. All these wages are Regulated, so why not include those who's wages are NOT regulated.........Let's All share the PAIN, so we can ALL understand the Ridiculous and Hypocritical Nonsense of Pursuing Equality Wages for some,....BUT not for others,....especially for those making the Proposals.

A fair equitable sustainable and inclusive way to handle this is to confiscate all attorney's wages above $80,000.00 per year and distribute that money to Floridians earning minimum wage. I for one am shocked John Morgan has not yet thought of this yet on his own. But I fully expect John to pick up this method and fully implement it as quickly as possable!!! Oh what was John's funding method before adopting my genius idea??? Taking money from hard working Floridians to distribute to Floridians making minimum wage??? Oh Hell No that will never fly. It's totally not fair equitable sustainable or inclusive. Nope John's gonna put his money where his mouth is.

This will be a wage reduction for every person who already makes at or above the new level since all costs will go up, but their wages will not.

The minimum wage was never meant to be a "living" wage. You start there and work your way up and out. Secondly, in the example given of a homeless mom-to-be... I'm all for motherhood when it is affordable. She had no business getting pregnant when she had no means to take care of a baby. Sad people are so irresponsible.

“By living wages, I mean more than a bare subsistence level — I mean the wages of a decent living.” -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933, Statement on National Industrial Recovery Act

The minimum wage was never meant to be a "living" wage. You start there and work your way up and out. Secondly, in the example given of a homeless mom-to-be... I'm all for motherhood when it is affordable. She had no business getting pregnant when she had no means to take care of a baby. Sad people are so irresponsible.

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