Rallies across the state support raising minimum wage to $6.15
A proposed amendment would not only raise the minimum wage, but also allow it to be adjusted each year.
By GRAHAM BRINK and MARCUS FRANKLIN
Published August 11, 2004
TAMPA - Taheesha Clark has a 2-year-old daughter to feed and would like to get her own apartment, instead of sharing one with her brother.
The $5.15 minimum wage she earns working at a coffee shop is simply not enough, she said at a rally held in downtown Tampa on Tuesday.
"I'm working as hard as a I can to take care of my child and stay off welfare," said Clark, 20. "But the minimum wage is just too low to make it work."
The rally was one of 11 organized across the state in support of raising the minimum wage to $6.15 an hour.
A proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution would raise the minimum wage by $1 and also adjust the minimum wage each year based on the Consumer Price Index. Floridians will vote on the issue during the Nov. 2 election.
About 3 percent of Florida's workers, who make less than $6.15 an hour now, would get a raise if the constitutional amendment passes.
Private polls show the ballot measure has widespread support. Many small business owners, though, have said an increase would cause prices to rise and put some of them out of business. The Florida Retail Federation and the Florida Chamber of Commerce opposes an increase. They argue that an increase would hinder the economy and job growth.
Not so, said Philip Compton, a spokesman for the Florida Consumer Action Network. Compton, who spoke at the Tampa rally, said low-income families would spend that extra dollar at many of the small businesses that fear the increase.
That extra money would stimulate the economy, he said.
"It will have a more direct impact than tax cuts," Compton said. "This should be a bipartisan issue. Our group is about half Republicans, and we support this measure."
In downtown St. Petersburg, about 40 people gathered beneath an oak tree outside the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court to listen to a series of speeches by a state lawmaker, a City Council member and religious leaders.
The cross-section of a half-dozen speakers called on those attending the rally to vote for the amendment and encourage other voters to do the same.
No American, Minister James Muhammad said, should be deprived of quality food, clothing or housing. But many are forgoing those things because they don't earn enough money.
"This is a legitimate cry on behalf of the poor people, who represent the backbone of America," said Muhammad, head of the Bay Area Nation of Islam.
St. Petersburg City Council member John J. Lasita responded to criticism about the "flood" of amendments to the state's Constitution, saying Amendment 5 grew out of "inertia" on the part of the federal government as well as state lawmakers.
"The collective inaction has forced us to this effort," Lasita said. "It's justifiable and totally the right thing to do."
State Rep. Frank Peterman, D-St. Petersburg, said children and families are "counting on us to make it right, make sure this passes.
"This is about people - the working poor - having a better quality of life," Peterman said. "Let's make Pinellas County lead the way in pushing this amendment forward."
In Tallahassee, about 30 adults gathered in the state Capitol, their numbers bolstered by more than two-dozen schoolchildren from Miami who came for a later demonstration opposing the state's use of FCAT in the education system. As the children held a sign for Floridians for All, the political action committee behind the ballot measure, Leon County Commissioner Bob Rackleff, laid blame on Congress.
"There has been a measure of unresponsiveness by national and state leadership," Rackleff said. "We shouldn't have to be here today."
Staff writer Joni James contributed to this report. Graham Brink can be reached at 813 226-3365 or brink@sptimes.com
