President Obama applauds Oregon’s minimum wage hike

Supporters and opponents who hailed or criticized the Oregon Legislature’s passage of a minimum wage hike plan last month voiced similar remarks Tuesday after Gov. Kate Brown signed the bill into law — but this time, reaction also came from President Obama.

Here’s the president’s statement, in full:

“I commend the Oregon Legislature and Governor Kate Brown for taking action to raise their state’s minimum wage.

“Since I first called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage in 2013, 18 states and the District of Columbia have acted on their own.These efforts will boost the paychecks of hardworking Americans and help support millions of workers trying to make ends meet.

“Today , more than half of our states guarantee their workers a wage higher than the federal minimum. That’s progress.

“But Congress needs to keep up with the rest of the country.They need to act, and finally give America a raise. And until they do, I’ll continue to encourage states, cities, counties and companies to act on their own to support hardworking families.”

—

From the Raise the Wage coalition:

Governor Kate Brown signed legislation Wednesday to increase Oregon’s minimum wage. Senate Bill 1532 will raise Oregon’s minimum wage over six years, with different rates set in three different regions.

Tom Chamberlain, President of the Oregon AFL-CIO and Andrea Paluso, Executive Director of Family Forward Oregon issued the following statement on behalf of the Raise the Wage coalition:

“Our coalition formed over a year ago and we expanded our efforts after legislators took no action to raise wages in the 2015 session. We were united by the common belief that no one who works hard should struggle to feed their family or pay their bills, and we were determined to secure a raise for workers in 2016.

“After months of hearings, meetings, the filing of three ballot measures, and grassroots action, our elected leaders listened and took bold action last month in the face of intense lobbying from big business with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

“While Senate Bill 1532 is not everything we had hoped for, it does represent significant progress for workers and their families, and will set hundreds of thousands of Oregonians back on the path to self-sufficiency as the raise is phased in over the next six years.

“Most significantly, this law recognizes that whether they work in a field or a factory, at a small business or a large one, or are just starting out in their career, all Oregonians deserve a wage that allows them to better afford the basics, no exceptions.

“We are proud to say that Oregon has once again positioned itself as a national leader by enacting a policy that is good for workers, for families, and for the economy.”

—

From the National Federation of Independent Business:

Comment from Anthony K. Smith, Oregon state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, on Gov. Kate Brown’s signing today of Senate Bill 1532 A, raising the state’s minimum – wage rates in phases and by regions:

“Governor Brown’s signing of Senate Bill 1532 was expected, but what was also expected was her strong opposition to the remaining campaign still gathering signatures for the November ballot that would spike the minimum wage to $15 per hour. We didn’t hear that today .

“It’s bad enough that this unfortunate law will prompt small-business owners to halt hiring, start cutting back hours for workers, start eliminating overtime, or even make layoffs, but her silence on the ballot initiative only adds to the anxiety Oregon’s entrepreneurs are already experiencing.

“Oregon’s small businesses need to know where their governor stands. We urge Governor Brown to publicly, loudly and repeatedly oppose any and all efforts to further increase the minimum wage .”

—

Statement from Jason Brandt, spokesman for the Coalition to Defend Oregon Jobs:

By signing this legislation today, Gov. Kate Brown has told Oregon small businesses that government knows more about creating jobs for Oregonians than employers do. Farmers, ranchers, mom and pop restaurants, food manufacturers, and a host of other small businesses have to make tough decisions that will impact workers they care about.

Mandating the highest minimum wage in the nation is not going to end poverty in Oregon. And there’s absolutely no evidence that the Portland activists pushing for an even higher minimum wage will stop trying to get on the ballot this fall. The question is whether our elected officials will stand in bipartisan opposition to yet another extreme wage hike heading for the November ballot. We hope the answer is yes and that we see some acknowledgement that Oregonian farmers and main street businesses count.