MASON CITY – Representative Sharon Steckman says Iowa workers deserve a wage increase.
According to a newsletter she sent Friday:
After gridlock for nearly a decade, a group of Iowa lawmakers said this week that raising Iowa’s minimum wage should be one of the top priorities of the 2017 legislative session. There are over 216,000 Iowans who earn the minimum wage and 90,000 Iowans who would indirectly benefit from an increase.
Over the last 30 years, the minimum wage has failed to keep up with the struggles working families are facing. If the minimum wage had kept up with inflation, it would currently be $10.74 an hour. The current wage of $7.25 has 78% of the purchasing power it did in 1968.
Contrary to popular belief, the majority of minimum wage workers are not teenagers. Eighty-one percent of workers benefiting from the wage increase are over 20 years old. In Iowa, 58% of minimum wage workers that will benefit from an increase are women. The new money injected into the economy would lead to an estimated 1,400 new jobs.
Last session, several lawmakers introduced a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25, Iowa’s current minimum wage, to $10.10 over several years’ time. This plan was not considered by Republicans in the Iowa House. Because of these roadblocks at the State Capitol, several Iowa counties have taken it upon themselves to raise the minimum wage themselves. The Board of Supervisors in Johnson, Wapello and Linn counties have all voted to raise the minimum wages in their respective counties.
If you vote on looks Barb gets my vote . She must be nice .
Steckman is out of touch with the job world, she only knows teaching. Vote for Barb Hovland.
And what exactly does Babs Hovland bring to the table?
Other than being Tom’s wife, what is her experience & background?
Country club soirees?
You notice the political signs around?
Steckman’s have her first name on them whereas Babs signs just say Hovland.
Babs is hoping that people will think that it is her husband, a successful business man and not Babs who only knows how to accessorize.
Babs is nothing more than fluff.
I don’t disagree that $7.75 might need to be raised but these Liberals keep insisting that it is a living wage? no, it it is an entry level wage. There isn’t a job in Mason City available now for less than $10.10 an hour. I don’t see a big need for a minimum.
You don’t see a need John because you are not a single parent trying to raise two kids on 10 bucks an hour.
A 10 dollar and hour job won’t pay your property taxes and health insurance – stay on welfare and collect the 4500 dollars for each child at the end of the year – free health insurance -subsidized housing/heat/food stanps – 10 bucks per hour I hate to say it is only 1/3 the way there.
My company said our insurance is going up 49 percent at the end of the year I thought the rich were supposed too pay for Obamas mistakes
Your company is part of a group. Most likely Wellmark. They reap generous profits at your expense and perpetuate the lie that its Obamas fault.
Bull Shit. That is a democrats lie. Your insurance costs are going up to cover the losses caused by the great failure called Obamacare.
Obama keeps filling his rich butt buddys pockets. ..
Check the performance and soaring profits of Cigna, Humana and Wellmark stock over the last several years
I just want my hundred bucks back that odummy takes out of every pay check every other week for the same health care that I was on 2 years ago, remember his lied that we would save 2,500 a year, I know it goes towards the public employees union , so that private employees get to bend over an grab there ankles again as she drives us in the steckman ditch . Thanks for nothing , again .
Two hundred bucks a month, I would take that deal in a heartbeat. You dont know how good you have it
Get your wage raise now before The Donald steals your money.
Lots of jobs available over $10.00. All they have to do is go apply. They will hire almost anyone right now. The only requirement is they have to want to work, and that leaves out a lot of them. If she is talking about fast food workers, they are mostly felons who don’t deserve any more.
surely don’t mean the private sector !