The House Labor Committee rejects a proposal to allow local governments to set their own minimum wage. A 1997 Louisiana law prohibits parishes and cities from setting their own local minimum wage rates. But New Orleans Representative Royce Duplessis says local government bodies know what their workers need…
“We always talk about in this building that local knows best, and this is about restoring and honoring respect for local government to do what is in it’s best interest for the local economy.”
The City of Birmingham has filed a suit against the State of Alabama, alleging racial discrimination, after the city attempted to raise the minimum wage, but was blocked by the state.
But the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry opposed the measure. VP of Governmental Relations Jim Patterson says the proposal would place undue burden on statewide businesses.
“The chaos that would be created, particularly for employers that operate in more than one locality, would be untenable.”
Shreveport City Councilwoman LeVette Fuller expressed support for the legislation, saying working people cannot live on 7.25 an hour and need a raise, but every city’s needs are different, and this legislation addresses that.
“The needs of my citizens are great when it comes to having a quality income, being able to have a working wage, but I don’t believe that the working wage that would work for Shreveport would be the same for New Orleans.”
But Patterson warned that allowing those cities to raise wages to what they consider “live-able” levels would result in layoffs that would make those worker’s living situation even worse…
“The result oftentimes is that the individual is no longer worth what the individual is paying that individual, and they may be let go.”
The state minimum wage is the federal minimum of 7.25 an hour.
