Governor John Bel Edwards appeared before the Senate Labor committee Thursday, to testify on behalf of raising the minimum wage.
“It’s a modest but meaningful increase: $8.00 an hour, and then $8.50 an hour,” the governor stated.
He also spoke in support of the Equal Pay Act.
“Louisiana has the largest pay gap in the country, with women earning 65-cents on the dollar, compared to men,” Edwards explained.
Both bills are part of the governor’s legislative agenda, and the issues figured largely in his campaign last year.
Regarding equal pay, Edwards reminded committee members, “One in four Louisiana children lives in poverty, with single mothers heading the majority of households living in poverty. When we don’t protect mothers trying to earn a fair day’s pay, we are unnecessarily hurting children and keeping them in poverty.”
The state Workforce Commission released data Thursday, showing that the gender pay differential is even bigger in many Louisiana parishes. In West Carroll, women receive 51 cents; in Acadia, it’s 52 cents; and in St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion, women are paid 58 cents for every dollar earned by men. The smallest pay gap is in Orleans, but women there still earn 80 cents for every male pay dollar.
Edwards offered some data of his own.
“89-percent of the people of Louisiana support the Louisiana Equal Pay Act,” the governor said, adding, “This is not a close call. This ought to be the easiest thing we do this year.”
Even though business interests objected, the bill advanced on a vote of 5 to 2.
The minimum wage bill is also headed to the Senate floor. The governor said it is also something the majority of state residents support.
“The support for increasing the minimum wage exceeds 70 percent in Louisiana today,” Edwards stated.
But Dawn Starns with the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) says their annual survey of more than 4-thousand members shows something entirely different.
“When we asked them about minimum wage, a resounding 90-percent of them told us they opposed this sort of legislation,” Starns declared.
She urged committee members to “stop this bill before it goes any further.”
“We believe increasing the minimum wage is bad policy,” Starns insisted. “The free market dictates wages. Companies pay what they can and many of our small business owners already pay above minimum wage. They don’t need the government to tell them how much to pay.”
While the committee vote on this was tighter -- 4-3 in favor – it still advanced.