Voter Actions Undercut Federal Push for $10.10 Minimum Wage

John Thompson’s article “Voter Actions Undercut Federal Push for $10.10 Minimum Wage” was featured on TLNT on November 11, 2014.

Earlier this month, several states and localities voted in favor of increasing their minimum wage.

Right on cue, many (including U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez) seized upon these results as ostensibly supporting an increase in the federal Fair Labor Standards Act‘s rate to $10.10 per hour.

On the contrary, the developments emphasize that no such nationwide action is either wise or warranted.

In the article, John discusses the actual details of what occurred (as opposed to generalities about voting margins and states’ political leanings) and reveals why leaving the matter to localized action is far more appropriate.

John states that whatever one thinks about the wisdom of having any minimum wage, or about whether there really is a groundswell of public enthusiasm for higher rates, these substantial disparities even among supporters demonstrate that the one-size-fits-all, top-down, Washington-knows-best approach embodied in the FLSA is no longer the way to go.

Instead, voters and officials in states and localities are much better placed to judge on the basis of their own economies and other circumstances whether, by how much, and when to take such action.

If one jurisdiction or another makes a poor choice, then at least the effects will be limited to those who made it.

To read the full article, please visit TLNT.