10 Democrats voted yes. 9 Republicans voted no. 1 Republican was absent. 1 Democrat did not vote. That non voting Democrat, Senator Brian Bushweller, betrayed all working class people today for whatever petulant reason he has for not voting. Not voting means you are in the chamber and can vote, but you choose not to. He is not sick. Not on his death bed. He chose not to help out working people. He is thankfully retiring at the end of this session, so his Casino loving ass will be gone shortly, but in the meantime, he is to be condemned. Because of his nonvote, which is a de facto no vote for our purposes, meant that the Minimum Wage bill is defeated for this session.
Attention all Democrats in the Senate and House, do not, under any circumstances, allow a vote on Bushweller’s Casino bill. If Dover Downs and Delaware Park want to discuss a new tax rate, then they will find a new sponsor, who will put forward a new bill.
Here are the voting details:
SB10 – RAISING MINIMUM WAGE.
SPONSOR: Marshall, Henry, Baumbach, Bentz, Heffernan, Keeley, Kowalko, McDowell, Osienski, Paradee
YES VOTES: Ennis, Hansen, Henry, Marshall, McBride, McDowell, Poore, Sokola, Townsend, Walsh
NO VOTES: Bonini, Cloutier, Delcollo, Hocker, Lavelle, Lawson, Lopez, Pettyjohn, Richardson
ABSENT: Simpson
NOT VOTING: Bushweller
HISTORY: Released from Senate Labor Committee.
STATUS: On Senate Ready List
Now, I have to vent for a moment. Speaking about petty things, we have to talk about this picture.
The man speaking is Joe Fitzgerald. He is a current lobbyist, former vice chairman of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, and a former employee of the Delaware Department of Labor. Here he was inexplicably testifying against Senate Bill 10, the bill to raise the minimum wage. It appears, from the angle this photo was taken, that the person taking this photo was Senate Majority Whip, Nicole Poore (D). Mr. Fitzgerald is a friend of Senator Poore.
Delaware is a small state, and its governmental, business and legal communities smaller still. It is fine to have friends across the aisle who disagree with you. But if I were a Democratic Senator, and not just a Democratic Senator but a Democratic Senator who was also in the Democratic Senate Leadership, I am not sure I would be happily documenting my friend’s testimony whose goal is depriving working people a raise in income. I am not sure I would be then sending that photo from my phone to my friend’s phone so that he could post it to his Facebook and brag about denying working people a raise. I think, as a Democratic Senator, I would say to my friend to have a Republican take the picture. Or Brian Bushweller.
Now, Senator Poore voted for the minimum wage bill to her credit. But this picture was bad form on her part. Democrats should not be helping the bastards trying to kill a minimum wage increase to actually advertise their efforts.
Well ranted and well justified. I agree, to hell with the casino relief bill and the people behind it.
The irony is that I am actually fine with the casino bill because I rather have Delaware not be dependent on casino revenue, thus forcing us to add a new top tax bracket or two. But if this is the way Bushweller the Betrayer wants to play it, fine. He gets nothing and can retire a failure.
We are a small business. We pay decent wages. If the business is doing well, our employees get a bonus. If we have a lean year, we are able to maintain our number of employees at that level, without having to have any layoffs. It also gives us capital, to update technology. Giving us the opportunity to better service and maintain our clients. Thus, keeping our employees employed.
Don’t need the government anymore in my business, than they already are!!
If raising the minimum wage is affecting your company’s bottom line, learn how to run a business better. $9.25 is not anywhere remotely near a decent wage.
Unfortunately, instead of young teenagers at these minimum wage jobs, we have people who are trying to raise families and that is sad. We need to do a better job, providing more opportunities.
Some small business’ yes, it can affect their bottom line. We are not in that category. We give “raises” thru bonus monies at the end of the year. We’ve been successful at that.
Long term employees.
Is it possible some of these small business’s aren’t willing to share the profits with their workers?
His comment has nothing to do with the story. It rarely does.
Do these legislators work for us or the Chamber. Thank God for Mississippi.
I’m sick and fucking tired of Cathy Cloutier getting a pass for bullshit like this. Are you fucking kidding me? Remember when the Working Families Party endorsed her? What a fucking joke! It’s a shame she’s not up for re-election until 2020 (although Lavelle is up this year). Let’s stop pretending she’s OK because she’s a “moderate” and tell the GOP (Cloutier, Lavelle, & Delcollo) to get the FUCK out of New Castle County.
Couldnt agree more. She is certainly not her husband who believed in medicare for all, and other common good legislation. She isn’t a moderate thats the joke. We need to get these dimwits out of government.
Cathy (and her late husband) never & probably never will advocate for raising minimum wage. I run her campaign (yes, I’m a democrat) and consider her family. For the record, Cathy and I completely disagree with on this topic, even though I understand the concerns of small business owners like both of my parents. In my opinion, this is the only reason why she hasn’t switched parties. However, before you trash her and claim she isn’t moderate, you can thank her for passing bills related to gun control, equality, healthcare, women’s rights, union protection, and education when certain democrats couldn’t come down from their office until they knew she voted yes. In fact, this issues is one of the few issues that the Dem’s don’t depend on her to pass, and typically don’t beg her to cross the aisle. She’s never campaigned on this topic, and it’s not included in her platform. Bushweller failed his own party to the surprise of leadership. Who knows, maybe her constituents will start to continue to push her left on this isssue, but remember where her district is, and who she represents. She continues to win thanks to the support of middle class Democrats who may not necessarily relate to this topic, or own plenty of small business where this issue matters. Personally, I’ll throw the offer out there to meet any of you who are her constituents for coffee, hear your stories, and connect her with you.
Can we stop pretending there is a bit of difference between the republicans and some of these demoRATS? The votes are decided in the closet not on the floor. They know exactly how the vote will come out at the end of the day, because they work together. I say the Chamber of Commerce, the NRA has more power in this state than the citizens who vote for these klowns.