The "15 in 16" ballot initiative -- the latest effort to raise St. Paul's minimum wage to $15 per hour -- was born on Facebook at 4:16 p.m. Jan. 1, 2016.
It died less than five days later at 8:10 a.m. Jan. 6. What happened during the course of those five days? The answer is: a lot.
Is that ballot initiative dead-dead, or just dead?
St. Paul resident and DFL campaign volunteer Quinn Doheny, the lead organizer and public face of the "15 in 16" Facebook page, had hoped to obtain more than 2,425 signatures to get a minimum wage ordinance and charter amendment on the city ballot in November. The Facebook page included links to a handful of prototype documents -- samples of what the ordinance and ballot language might look like. Some 600 folks were added to the group page (though not all by their own doing).
"I would say the rationale would be the cost of living in St. Paul is such that this type of wage is necessary in order keep people out of poverty," said Doheny on Monday. "The reason for putting it forward at the city level is that the cost of living in the metro area is higher than in the rest of the state."
"We are a high poverty city," he added. "We do have a lot of single parent families. That's one of the impacts this would have, hopefully raising the wage of single-parent families."
The short-lived "15 in 16" campaign proposed exemptions for small businesses, which would be expected to pay workers at least $1 more than the state minimum wage. It also proposed exemptions for employees under age 18 and businesses with tipped employees, such as restaurants, provided that employee wages added up to at least $15 per hour after tips.
Doheny said on Monday that the effort was still rather preliminary, and his campaign partners ("our group is kind of a loose affiliation at this point") had yet to meet with relevant parties in anti-poverty circles, labor organizers or members of the St. Paul City Council.
Nevertheless, the Facebook page made it clear that the "15 in 16" campaign was ready to get signatures for their ballot language:
The purpose of this group is to obtain those signatures (and more), and deliver them to the City Clerk. We are also interested in obtaining support for the initiative from labor, political figures, neighborhood organizations, and businesses.
Under the Files tab above, you can download the ordinance, a signature page, as well as documents explaining the need for a higher minimum wage and the current cost of living for family types in Ramsey County. When collecting signatures, the ordinance document in its entirety must be attached to the signature page for signatories to read.
Given the breakneck speed at which the "15 in 16" campaign was operating, minimum wage proponents on both sides of the Mississippi River stood up to take notice, and not in a happy way. On Tuesday night, key members of a more-established effort in Minneapolis -- 15 Now -- had a heart-to-heart with the "15 in 16" crowd. And after some discussion, both groups have decided to work together.
The ballot initiative is dead, and the Facebook campaign "15 in 16" is now known as 15NowSTP. Green Party activists Jesse Mortenson and Brandon Long have been added as page administrators.
Here's how Doheny's announcement read on the Facebook page Wednesday morning:
1. After meeting with leaders from 15Now Minnesota, the 15 in 16 leadership has decided to become part of a Saint Paul Chapter of 15Now and adopt a new name. The transition of this page will take place soon.
2. With the merger, 15 in 16 will halt collecting signatures of our current initiative.
3. If you have already collected signatures, please send those in to the PO Box previously listed, as we will use the information to expand our volunteer base for an upcoming initiative.
Long added the following in a brief online exchange with the Scoop: "The ordinance that was put out by that group will be strengthened to better match the eventual language of the Minneapolis Ballot Initiative."
Longtime DFL, labor and minimum wage activists had said they had a number of concerns with the "15 in 16" approach, not the least of which was the fact that key campaign partners such as SEIU, the labor organization, and ISAIAH, an interfaith coalition of housing and anti-poverty activists, had yet to sign on. Shoving legal language at the city council without giving each member a chance to peruse the particulars and suggest tweaks seemed heavy-handed. And why make unnecessary enemies of potential allies?
They also noted recent history: statewide efforts to ban gay marriage and institute voter I.D. restrictions both failed when they went to ballot referendum in recent years.
"Legislating by referendum isn't the best way to do it," said an organizer, who asked not to be identified, shortly before the fateful meeting on Tuesday.
"In some ways, this effort is kind of going backwards," she said. "Talk to the city council. Let's organize, and let's organize the right way. I think the ballot should be the last option."
Here's another reason to get organized: the competition is equally galvanized. Efforts to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour have gathered steam across the country, but have also faced stiff opposition, even in left-leaning cities like Minneapolis.
Critics and even some supporters of wage hikes fear that implementing them city by city will leave high-poverty areas like St. Paul at a competitive disadvantage for jobs, which St. Paul remains sorely in need of.
"We have a statewide minimum wage set in law," said St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Kramer, in a brief email exchange. "If you want to change the law, go to the legislature."
If you want to raise the minimum wage in St. Paul, touch base with the interfaith anti-poverty group ISAIAH first, ok?
More than a year ago, Seattle chose to phase in a minimum wage increase that will reach $15 per hour for many (but not all) employers in 2017. The minimum went to $11 per hour last April, at the same time that the city's restaurant industry began shedding jobs. Coincidence? Experts are saying it's too soon to tell, but interested parties across the country are monitoring the Seattle experience closely for clues.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to institute a $15 minimum wage for public employees by the end of 2018.
After months of discussion, Minneapolis is studying a $12 or $15 minimum wage, which could be implemented citywide or countywide, though nothing appears imminent.
As for the state of Minnesota, large employers are currently expected to pay regular employees (adults not in training) $9 per hour until Aug. 1, when the minimum increases to $9.50. Small employers currently pay $7.25 per hour until Aug. 1, when the minimum increases to $7.75. Youth and trainees are paid less.
An inflation index takes effect Jan. 1, 2018.
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