New Haven Independent

Pam Says Thanks For The Raise

by Paul Bass | June 24, 2008 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The human faces of the minimum wage stood by Democratic lawmakers as they celebrated a boost in lowest-paid workers’ paychecks.

The faces had names. One was Pam Brazzell (at left in photo). The other was Tonya Brooks (at right). They are New Haven single mothers who work for the minimum wage. Their pay rises from $7.65 to $8 an hour on Jan. 1, then again to $8.25 an hour the following Jan. 1.

Thirty-five cents an hour, or $14 for a full week’s work, may not sound like a huge deal. It was a big deal to Brooks, who said she hopes now not to have to choose which bills to pay and which not to pay. It’s a big deal to Brazzell, who makes $7.65 an hour delivering the New Haven Register (which editorialized against a minimum wage hike), the Hartford Courant and The New York Times.

And it was a big deal in Hartford, where the state legislature passed the increase — then had to return in special session Monday to round up the votes to override a veto by Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

Two of the leaders of that override effort, New Haven State Sens. Marty Looney and Toni Harp (pictured left to right), came home to New Haven Tuesday to speak about the human faces that made them care so much about the wage hike. They spoke, along with Brazzell and Brooks, outside Christian Community Action on Davenport Avenue in the Hill.

Gov. Rell and other Republicans argued that the state couldn’t afford to make businesses spend more money during a recession, that people would lose jobs as a result. Democrats pointed to studies like this one that showed no job loss in the 17 states that raised the minimum wage a total of 47 times between 1997 and 2005.

More central to the debate was the face that each side attached to the minimum wage.

Opponents “trivialized” the wage hike by characterizing it as “putting more spending money in college students’ pockets,” Looney noted.

In fact, according to the state labor department, a majority of Connecticut’s minimum-wage earners are woman over 24 ears of age. Many, said Looney, are “single mothers with young children trying to cobble together a living, sometimes working a few jobs.”

Women like Tonya Brooks, who has two children. She said she works in sales at Macy’s in the Connecticut Post Mall.

Women like Pam Brazzell. She delivers newspapers for a company called PCF. She has already lost two low-wage jobs to corporate downsizing since October of 2006.

That was when she enrolled in a Workforce Alliance program for ex-offenders looking to get back on their feet and go straight.

“That $700 a year [in the minimum wage hike] is a big number for people earning so little,” said Robert Fort of the Workforce Alliance.

Even with the raise, though, low-wage workers are far from earning the $17.50 to $19 an hour it takes to be able to afford a typical two-bedroom apartment in New Haven, Fort said. The bigger promise of the minimum wage increase, he said, is that it will push up other wages, and start to reverse the growing gap between the rich and the working poor in Connecticut.

Bonita Grubbs (pictured), who runs Christian Community Action, said she’s seeing more of the working poor at her agency’s food pantry. The demand in general has skyrocketed, she said: The pantry served about 500 people a month in 2007. In May 2008, it served 736. Another fourteen bucks a month can only help those with jobs.

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Comments

Posted by: In the Hood | June 24, 2008 4:48 PM

The problem of low wage working poor in today's society has many larger implications.
If it takes an average of $18 an hour to pay for a two bedroom apartment, then a single head of household would have to work approximately 2 full-time jobs plus a part-time one just to barely get by.

Who is caring for the children and reading to them while mom or dad is out working 20hrs a day...who shows up in school...when do doctors appointments happen? When does discipline happen?

What on earth does "reversing the growing gap between the RICH --- and the WORKING POOR" mean?

What are we doing about the children of these families. Increasing the wage is a good short term solution but, really,just a small part of a very serious problem.

Posted by: -fairhavener- | June 24, 2008 5:50 PM

"Gov. Rell and other Republicans argued that the state couldn't afford to make businesses spend more money..."

They shouldn't worry so much that's where undocumented workers come in to play.

And no one has any business popping out kids that they cannot afford. Sorry, I don't give a carp if that's not PC. Seriously, if you don't have a good paying job and you don't have a partner ready to help pay for the kids, DON'T MAKE THEM. Use birth control. It doesn't hurt. Or, go ahead and don't, and keep reproducing the masses and masses that make up the slave class that keeps on taking care of the master class that keeps on keeping you down - now at a whopping $8 an hour.

Posted by: fedupwithliberals | June 24, 2008 8:51 PM

In The Hood,

Not my problem! If you can't afford to support yourself, don't have kids. If you ef up, then you should be held out as an example to others as what not to do in order to succeed. You want to succeed? Then stay in school and apply yourself. Poverty is a great motivator, and you are not being compassionate by enslaving people into accepting minimum wage and government help for the rest of there lives. It is not acceptable.

Posted by: Lets get real | June 25, 2008 11:03 AM

Fedupwithliberal,
You have the most ignorant pigheaded way of expressing yourself. I sometimes wonder is it real or to stir a reaction from some people. Sometimes your points make a lil sense, but the way you lay your words crushes it. I agree with you to certain degree that there are many people who get to comfortable with govermental assistance, and that puts a halt on them doing for them selves. however there are some that are putting an effort to change and work but how can anyone survive off 8.25?? Whatever their lack of motivation to not finish school, who knows? who are we to judge, every one didnt grow up with stable foundation. Many making min wage have high school diplomas! so you must mean college, but college isnt for everyone. Regardless, $8.25 is something a teenager should be making for min wage, not an adult trying to raise a family. I have a degree w/ a salaried job and find it difficult at times financially. Paying people $8.25 an hour is slavery!

Posted by: THREEFIFTHS | June 25, 2008 3:43 PM

To all who say that we donot need to increase the
minimum wage, Read this book by Babara Ehrenreich called Nickel and Dimed Getting by in america.You see what people donot understand is that there is a new breed of the poor and that is the people who have lost there jobs to outsourcing and have worked all of there lives and never ask for welfare or hand outs,I have people on my block who got laid off from bayer,Look at the people who lost there jobs at winchester,And we must forget the city workers who king john will be laying off!!!Times are hard,I was reading how the young people and the senior citizens are competing
for summer jobs.Tofedupwithliberals read Lou Dobbs
book war on the middle class and you will see how he points out that how the real enemy is the Corporatist who are in control and Dobbs is far from being a liberal.

Posted by: kris | June 25, 2008 8:39 PM

I agree with fedup and fairhaven.It is not our problem.If they work 2 full time jobs they will be ok.What bills do they have?Im sure their health care is free,section 8 pays the rent,food stamps buy food and most get help with their UI bill.Do they have a car? Registered?Insured?So that leaves what?? the cell phone bill.Ya know the old saying ya made your bed so........

Posted by: Ms. K | June 26, 2008 10:39 AM

Kris,
Guess what? If you work even one full time job the government says you make too much much money to get free health car, section 8, food stamps and help on your UI bill. So get your facts straight. those with all those free services don't work at all. and what we fail to remember is, if no one was working low-wage jobs, who would bag your groceries?

Pam Says Thanks For The Raise

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