On September 8th of this year, Las Cruces joined 13 states, the District of Columbia, and became the 6th municipality to vote for a raise that over time will improve the lives of millions nationwide. We celebrate Mayor Ken Miyagishima and the City Council’s vote giving hardworking individuals and families in Las Cruces a raise to $10.10 by 2017, including increased tipped wages. We applaud their commitment to an economic strategy that works for our local economy. Council’s action will help lift 18,000 workers and their families in Las Cruces out of poverty, giving them a fighting chance to look towards their future and enjoy life as God intended.
In June of this year, When Mayor Ed Murray of Seattle signed the city’s law to raise minimum wage to $15/hour, he exclaimed, “Although it [raising the minimum wage] is historic, today marks a beginning, not an end. It is not about promises kept, but about promises to keep. We have taken a great step forward in the challenge of addressing income inequality and rebuilding the middle class. And it’s a step we recommend to other cities who seek to take action as we have.”
After he voted yes in support of the citizen’s ballot initiative to raise the wage to $10.10 in 2017 on September 8th, the next day Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima was quoted in the Albuquerque Journal as saying that “he is calling for a mid-October worksession...and change around the implementation of it [the new law].” He went on to say, “We just may do the $10.10 over 10 or 15 years.” The new law that he and 3 city councilors (Silva, Smith and Levatino) voted in calls for a 3 year phase-in effective January 2015, not a phase-in over 10 to 15 years.
The raise for workers and families in Las Cruces begins at $8.40 on January 2015 for regular wages, and improves tipped wages to $3.36. The following year in January 2016, regular wages will increase to $9.20 and tipped wages to $4.70, and effective January 2017, regular wages improve to $10.10 and tipped wages increase to $6.06, with wages being indexed to the cost of living.
“Their vote to improve wages is a positive step forward,” affirmed Cassie Calway, who works at a local restaurant for tipped wages, “not only for my family’s stability and to improve our lives, but also a positive step forward for Las Cruces.”
Last week in his weekly newsletter to City Council dated September 26th, City Manager Robert Garza, recommended that the city council “repeal the first minimum wage ordinance adopted on June 2, 2014, effectively putting it aside...”. That ordinance would have only increased wages to $8.50 over the next two years not including an increase for tipped earners. Garza’s newsletter went on to recommend to the Mayor and City Council that a “simplified approach” would be to discuss “elements” of the new law that includes “enforcement provisions, interrelated issues including minimum wage amounts, implementation timeline, and exemptions, and tipped workers”. In essence, he recommends that the City Council discuss amending the entire ordinance. In his words, next steps for the council would be to “repeal the first adopted minimum wage ordinance, and...to adopt a modified minimum wage ordinance” in November, before the new law has the chance to go into effect.
After reading Garza’s newsletter and learning of his recommendations to essentially ask the City Council to write a different law than the one they voted in, Ms. Calway replied, “If they [the Mayor and city council] are thinking about excluding tipped workers, for me, that is non-negotiable. The law they passed was not a ‘blank-check’. They voted in a law signed by thousands of Las Cruces voters who supported a raise to $10.10. That’s the law they voted for, and that is what they should honor.”
One of Cassie’s teenage daughters added, “My mom works hard to put food on the table and give us a decent life. She also attends school full-time working hard to earn her Master’s degree. She’s my role model, so why is the city punishing our family? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Sarah Nolan, Executive Director of CAFé added, "We are happy to see that the ordinance we supported is now the law of Las Cruces and will take effect in January, 2015. We thank the City Manager for his clear recommendation to repeal the earlier ordinance.” Nolan added, “We do not support any efforts to change the law that gives workers a raise to $10.10. We hope that the City will now move on to helping its citizens in other ways. If any well-intentioned folks seek to amend the law that should be done only after the law has had time to work and, of course, after going through the normal democratic process. We are thankful that the hard work of the residents of the City has paid off and will make this a healthier, more stable community in which to work and live."
“We want the city council to stop fighting this. This is done so let’s move forward to other issues that will help our community. I want the Mayor and city council to stand by their vote.” stated Rev. Carol Tuck, a retired Methodist pastor and community leader.
CAFé is planning a press event on Thursday, 10/16, at 10:30 a.m. at Mountainview Market.