Senate Minimum Wage Bill A "Cynical Ploy" To Secure Tax Break for the Super-Rich

WASHINGTON — Gerald W. McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, issued the following statement today as Senate Republican leaders braced for failure in their efforts to pass an $800 billion inheritance tax giveaway for the wealthy by tying it to a proposed increase in the minimum wage:

“Senators know a cynical election-year ploy when they see one. This was a transparent attempt to dangle a minimum wage increase for families struggling to make ends meet to secure yet another Texas-size tax handout for the wealthiest among us.

“It is reprehensible that Republican leaders would seek to use relief for low-wage workers as cover in order to sneak through yet another tax boondoggle for their rich friends. Funding a minimum-wage hike by draining $800 billion from public budgets used to fund programs like Social Security and Medicare is not a solution for low-income Americans. It is a new problem. Congress owes it to all low-wage workers to raise the minimum wage with no strings attached.

This gimmick would have been especially disastrous for the more than 1 million low-wage workers who rely on tips to earn a living. They faced wage cuts under this legislation. For them, the only thing this bill would have raised is their stress level.”

AFSCME’s 1.6 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in hundreds of different occupations – from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers – AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.

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AFSCME, the largest union in the AFL-CIO with more than 1.4 million members nationwide, organizes for social and economic justice in the workplace through political action and legislative advocacy. AFSCME represents a diverse group of service and health care workers in the public and private sectors, including nurses, EMTs, bus drivers, child care providers, custodians and librarians.