Memo To These Legislators: Support The $15 Minimum Wage
If there ever has been an issue that should unite all Democratic legislators, it is the $15 minimum wage. SB 15 passed the Senate, and all Democratic senators voted for it. The Senate amendment that was added to the bill made clear that Delaware’s minimum wage would remain at the criminally-paltry $9.25/hour until January of 2022. In other words, to the House Dems who are using Chamber talking points to justify either opposing or taking no stand on the bill (kinda like John ‘Third Way’ Carney), the minimum wage will not rise until next year.
Let’s look at the House Dems who have not publicly committed to supporting the minimum wage, and to build a case for them to support it. These are the people who those who support SB 15 MUST lobby, politely but relentlessly. The $15 minimum wage is a cornerstone of the state party platform. I, for one, have no objection should you remind these elected officials that failure to support such a bedrock principle would be justification for primary challenges. There are litmus test issues, then there are litmus test issues. Every state senator supports this, they demonstrated that they weren’t afraid of their shadows. Why are some representatives acting so–cowardly?
In order for SB 15 to become law, it first must clear the Business Lapdog Committee, which Speaker Pete has stacked with, to put it politely, minimum wage skeptics. (It’s a subject for another day, but progressive organizers must work to overturn the Cop Cabal that runs the House by 2022. We’re close, but we need just a couple more progressive voices in the Caucus. More on that soon.) Here are the Democratic members of that 13-member Committee:
William BushAndria L. BennettKrista Griffith
Sherry Dorsey Walker
Stephanie T. Bolden
Paul S. Baumbach
Madinah Wilson-Anton
Larry Lambert
Democrats Dorsey Walker, Bolden, Baumbach, Wilson-Anton, and Lambert are all on the bill as co-sponsors. Assuming that all the R’s are no’s, then two of three of the following must vote to release the bill from committee: Bush, Bennett, and Griffith.
Let’s discuss: One-by-one.
Krista Griffith-RD 12. Griffith’s public reluctance to support this bill is virtually unfathomable. Griffith ran against arguably the most unrepentant corporate apologist in the Delaware General Assembly (Deborah Capano Hudson), and defeated her. Her 2018 win against the incumbent wasn’t even that close close, 6691 to 5898, in a district that, on Election Day in 2018, had a narrow R registration edge (7276 R, 7211 D, and 5312 I’s). She won reelection in 2020 against a former R statewide candidate, Jeff Cragg, by better than a 3000 vote margin. The registration figures in her RD as of today?: 8284 D, 7018 R, and 5623 I’s. That’s 1006 more D’s, 193 fewer R’s and 311 more I’s since November of 2018. Can any reasonable politico look at those numbers and those election results, and argue that Griffith would be better off if she opposed the minimum wage bill? So we have to ask the question: Why isn’t she supporting this bill? Has Chris Kenny threatened an R opponent? Uh, ask Greg Lavelle, Debbie Hudson, Bob Weiner and Cathy Cloutier just how effective he’s been in Shop-Rite’s own backyard lately. Or, is she really a John Carney Democrat, meaning a Democrat who checks with the Chamber before he decides which pair of khakis to put on each day? If she’s the latter, then, quite frankly, I see no reason why she shouldn’t be primaried by a real Democrat. I don’t think she’s that kind of Democrat. She has an admirable bio. In general, she’s been a quality representative. But this bill shouldn’t give her a moment’s pause. Neither should you. Call her, write her, e-mail her, use whatever persuasion you can. C’mon, Delaware United, c’mon, Network Delaware, this is when we need you the most. Activate those grassroots. This holds true for all the legislators we’ll discuss here. Her state e-mail is Krista.Griffith@delaware.gov. Her Leg Hall phone # is (302) 744-4351.
Andria Bennett-RD 32. During the 2011 redistricting, this district was made completely safe for Bennett. Brad Bennett. Who never got to run for reelection in it. Yep. 2012 was the date of his second public DUI, thus jump-starting the political career of Andria Viola Bennett, daughter of one undistinguished legislator, wife of another, who got her Leg Hall job thru nepotism, and didn’t stop there. (BTW, Brad Bennett had been married to the daughter of former State Senator Brian Bushweller, but, I digress.) Anyway, the 32nd RD now has a ridiculous registration margin of 7941 D’s, 3644 R’s, and 4261 I’s. They voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a 4231 to 2715 margin. Meaning, they’re real Democrats, not Kent County Old Guard Democrats. With Kerri Evelyn Harris and her daughter now living in that district, I can’t spell it out more succinctly than this: Vote for the bill, Andria, or face getting wiped out in a primary. The seat is not at risk of flipping from D to R. I also call on KEH and her many supporters in that district to let Bennett know from this point forward that voting against this bill will sign her political death warrant. No more excuses. No more quoting directly from the Chamber on the floor of the House. Oh, and here’s something you may have forgotten from a piece I wrote back in 2017:
(Bennett) singlehandedly ensured that income tax increases for Delaware’s wealthiest would not even be considered as part of the 2017 revenue package. Meaning, she ensured that $30 million would be cut from education funding and ensured that seniors in her district would experience service cuts as well.
She cried public tears over her cowardice back then. Come to think of it, she should be primaried regardless of whether she supports the minimum wage bill. She has been a Cop Cabal enabler for her entire career. Voting for the minimum wage bill would at least give her a fighting chance. Her state e-mail is Andria.Bennett@delaware.gov. Her legislative phone is (302) 744-4351.
Bill Bush-RD 29. In less than two terms, Bill Bush has established himself as the DINO successor to Quin Johnson. This, of course, has made him a favorite of the Cop Cabal, who have rewarded the Del-Tech bagman’s loyalty by handing him the keys to the Business Lapdog Committee, previously presided over by Bryon Short (now a corporate lobbyist) and the aforementioned ‘Q’. Bush was the guy who stirred the waters at Del-Tech until the qualified appointee to succeed Lonnie George baled after realizing that Del-Tech was a political snakepit, thus handing the job to ‘Doctor’ Mark Brainard. He has already publicly stated his opposition to the bill. A Democratic Committee chair publicly opposing the $15 minimum wage. However, his district is overwhelmingly Democratic, 9209 D, 6057 R, and 5109 I. Yes, he has plenty of ED’s in common with Sen. Dave Lawson, but his are the Democratic ED’s, and were crafted that way to keep the seat in the D column. His other ED’s are shared with Bruce Ennis and Trey Paradee, both of whom supported the bill. Bush doesn’t even have to vote for the bill on the floor. As Chair, he can merely vote to release it to the entire House, something that would be unnecessary had Speaker Pete put the bill in the Labor Committee, like any normal Democratic leader would have done. But at least he would ensure that the entire House gets to vote on this bill. That’s something. His state e-mail is William.Bush@delaware.gov. His Leg Hall phone is (302) 744-4351. Since that phone is the main phone for the Caucus, be sure to leave messages for multiple legislators at the same time rather than calling back several times. Help out the harried receptionist.
Oh, no, we’re not done yet. SB 15 requires 21 yes votes. There are 18 D house sponsors on the bill. Who are the other D’s who have not signed on to the bill? Glad you asked. If any of these reps represent you, you know what to do. I will comment on a couple of them. Starting with this guy:
William ‘Lumpy’ Carson-RD 28. Look up ‘useful idiot’ in the dictionary, and you’ll find his picture. I’m sorry, it’s not making fun of him to point out that he’s almost certainly the dumbest member of the House Democratic Caucus. We all knew it when we helped him succeed Bruce Ennis in this seat when Ennis was elected to fill out Jim Vaughn’s Senate term. Even Lumpy’s pet gerbil shook his tiny head in apologetic embarrassment. Ol’ Lump’s idea of critical thinking goes no further than: “Gee, it’s true. The second beer really DOES taste better than the first.” Pete ‘n Val have rewarded this guy by making him the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee (and Chair or Vice Chair, depending on the year, of the Joint Finance Committee). His opposition to a $15 minimum wage is also unfathomable. The registration figures in his district are as follows: 9244 D, 4289 R, 4684 I. 10 of the 14 ED’s in the representative district are represented by Senators Bruce Ennis and Trey Paradee, both of whom are sponsors on SB 15. On this issue, Ol’ Lump is completely out of touch with his constituents in this increasingly-suburban district. Hold him accountable–both now, and/or in a September 2022 primary. His state e-mail is William.Carson@delaware.gov. His phone number is , yes, (302) 744-4351.
Hmmm, it looks like the path to a progressive House Caucus runs through Kent County. But, I digress.
Especially since the following NCC representatives have not signed onto the bill as co-sponsors. Of course, it’s not necessary to sign onto a bill in order to support it. However, if you are a constituent of these legislators, please ask them if they will vote for SB 15:
Kendra Johnson: Kendra.Johnson@delaware.gov.
Sherae’a Moore: Rae.Moore@delaware.gov.
Sean Matthews: Sean.Matthews@delaware.gov.
The phone for all three is (302) 744-4351. As opposed to the legislators we profiled, none of these three have a history of public statements expressing concern with the minimum wage. But, we need to know where they stand. If you find out, let us know. We need to both get the bill out of committee, and passed. Unamended.
Now, get to work!
LOL @ Lumpy
Is KEH considering a run for the legislature?
I don’t know. But she and her daughter live in Bennett’s district, and I THINK her daughter is the district committee chair. I’m sure they can find someone who votes like a Democrat who can beat her, assuming Bennett sides with the Chamber again.
Great run down. These Democrats who continue to be bad at their jobs need to be fired by voters on primary day.
Quick Q – no mention of inflation adjustments or “tipped min” in SB15. Any chance that these are in the mix, or is that a battle for another day?
There is no provision in this bill for either. There MAY be a separate bill for the tipped minimum wage, but I’m not certain.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told investors that the company is doing “just fine” in the 29 states that have increased minimum wage rates.
Kempczinski’s comments reflect a four-year analysis by a team of economists that found higher McDonald’s wages in applicable markets have not led to closures, job loss or increased automation.
Did he mention the ‘training wage’?
Griffith’s benefit of the doubt went bye bye when she killed the tax bill. When she does it again she needs to “find out!”