From the Wahington TIMES (not Post):
House Republicans yesterday declared “something fishy” about the major tuna company in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco district being exempted from the minimum-wage increase that Democrats approved this week.
“I am shocked,” said Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican and his party’s chief deputy whip, noting that Mrs. Pelosi campaigned heavily on promises of honest government. “Now we find out that she is exempting hometown companies from minimum wage. This is exactly the hypocrisy and double talk that we have come to expect from the Democrats.”
On Wednesday, the House voted to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour.
The bill also extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands. However, it exempts American Samoa, another Pacific island territory that would become the only U.S. territory not subject to federal minimum-wage laws.
One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island’s work force. StarKist’s parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.
“There’s something fishy going on here,” said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Republican.
During the House debate yesterday on stem-cell research, Mr. McHenry raised a parliamentary inquiry as to whether an amendment could be offered that would exempt American Samoa from stem-cell research, “just as it was for the minimum-wage bill.”
A clearly perturbed Rep. Barney Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who was presiding, cut off Mr. McHenry and shouted, “No, it would not be.”
“So, the chair is saying I may not offer an amendment exempting American Samoa?” Mr. McHenry pressed.
“The gentleman is making a speech and will sustain,” Mr. Frank shouted as he slammed his large wooden gavel against the rostrum.
Some Republicans who voted in favor of the minimum-wage bill were particularly irritated to learn yesterday — after their vote — that the legislation did not include American Samoa.
“I was troubled to learn of this exemption,” said Rep. Mark Steven Kirk, Illinois Republican. “My intention was to raise the minimum wage for everyone. We shouldn’t permit any special favors or exemptions that are not widely discussed in Congress. This is the problem with rushing legislation through without full debate.”
A spokeswoman for Mrs. Pelosi said Wednesday that the speaker has not been lobbied in any way by StarKist or Del Monte.
Yes, nice use of the gavel there, Speaker Frank, as complimented here on BMG – http://www.bluemassg…
different minimum wage for American Samoa? Yeah, that makes sense, I couldn’t find it on a map if you asked but I’m pretty sure it’s near Malaysia or some other group of islands where people work in sweatshops for pennies an hour. Raising the minimum wage there, as opposed to inside the actual US, would be terrible for their economy.
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Is anyone actually opposing the carveout for American Samoa? Or just scoring cheap points.
Can Jeb Bush have one for Florida? Can you imagine what you’d be saying if HASTERT had done this?
Samoa is in southeast asia, the modern birthplace of unbelievably cheap labor. It’s a different labor market than Florida
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Notice from PP’s quote that the bill extends for the first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands.
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You note that it’s near Malaysia where people work in sweatshops. Sweatshops that are kinda like, oh say, the ones in the Northern Mariana Islands.
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The only legitimate diff between the Northern Mariana islands and American Samoa is that 1) Starkist and Del Monte are in American Samoa and not in the Northern Mariana Islands 2) Eni F.H. Faleomavaega is the democratic delegate and runs American Samoa and gets more than a few bucks from the Corps and 3) Eni F.H. Faleomavaega well argues that American Samoa can’t afford the minimum wage, much the same as I’d say that some US inner cities can’t afford the minimum wage.
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Good to see Barney “the Chicken of the don’t let em see” Franke close down open debate on the inequity between Northern Mariana Island and American Samoa before the faithful see the corruption.
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by Nancy Pelosi to keep Starkist employees below minimum wage, check out this Department of Labor news release from June 17, 2005.
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And if you just can’t get enough of American Samoa and its wage structure, there’s much more at the Dept. of Labor website.
They got it right about the wage in American Samoa, and wrong everywhere else. American Samoa must be the new Libertarian stronghold.
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Wonder if they’ll be exempt from negotiating the Medicare Part D too! Ah, the sweet smell of
canned tunafreedom.I’ve read about this and I’ve watched a couple of videos, but I don’t really understand why Samoa is allowed to be exempt from the minimum wage laws. And how about our other so-called protectorates (read: parts of our empire where slavery still exists)?
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I’m very concerned about this, because the exploitation of workers in places like the Marianas Islands is just horrifying. For the Democrats to promote such exploitation, as seems to be the case here, is disgusting.
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But I didn’t hear the Republicans being so concerned when Tom DeLay was (is?) getting so much money from kickbacks from the Marianas.
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So what are the facts here?
Biased or not, you decide.
So some fish ARE more equal than others.
Democrats have to change this. All fish are created equal (to borrow PP’S Metaphor).
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I am agreeing with the Republicans, although not with the same motivation or intent.
that because of all the publicity arising from the business involving DeLay and Abramoff and the kickbacks in the Marianas, a provision was added to the minimum wage bill to revoke the exclusion for the Marianas. Evidently there was no publicity or pressure for a similar provision to be added for Samoa.
Are self-respecting liberals REALLY going to try to cover for Pelosi here? Are people REALLY going to claim that Peter is crying left-wing conspiracy” by saying that an elected official would put in a favor for a large business in her district?
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To be clear, I don’t think that Rep. Eric Cantor cares whether workers in American Samoa get a minimum wage increase. I certianly haven’t read of him being an advocate for a minimum wage increase before there was an opportunity to score political points from it.
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But to see liberals defending this corporate favor is deeply disapopinting. Come on, people. If this move had been made by Hastert rather than Pelosi, would you still defend it? I’m glad that Pelosi is in there, but she is NOT all that liberal, let alone radical, and she is NOT beyond reproach. If we neglect to criticize her, she’ll sell us out. And I suppose we’ll get the government we deserve.