by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Martin Heinrich, Albuquerque city councilor, said it is important to raise the minimum wage in the city for more than economic reasons.
"It's very important to think not just about economic issues," he said. "But also about the moral and ethical ramifications."
Heinrich and five others discussed the pros and cons of the proposed local minimum wage increase at the UNM Continuing Education building on Tuesday night. The proposed increase of the minimum wage in Albuquerque from $5.15 per hour to $7.50 per hour will appear on the Oct. 4 ballot.
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About 20 people came to the event, which was sponsored by the Anderson Schools of Management.
Heinrich said raising the minimum wage would be good for people's self-esteem.
"When you make more than it costs to live, it sends a very different message - people feel better about themselves," he said. "At its core, it's about doing the right thing for the country."
Allen Parkman, a UNM business professor, disagreed. He said raising the minimum wage would not help people at the lowest rungs of the workforce.
"The relevant issue is how do you help people that are working hard, but just not making much money," he said.
He said the increase would hurt those who earn minimum wage because they tend to be uneducated and unskilled. He said if employers had to pay more for their lowest workers, they would have higher standards for those workers, and would replace them with more educated, qualified employees.
"The large percentage of people who work at the minimum wage do not have skills that the market is willing to pay $7.50 for," he said.
He said the only way to help those people is to help them get a better education and learn more useful skills for the job market.
He said the proposal is a quick fix that will solve symptoms, not causes.
"A miracle thing like this is not addressing the fundamental problems of workers who don't have skills the market is willing to pay for," he said.
Heinrich said the increase would help unskilled workers become more qualified. He said many people working for the minimum wage have to work so many hours to support themselves and their families that they do not have time to take classes at vocational schools. He said the increase would also help workers pay for classes.
Parkman said he was not convinced.
"I've not heard anything from the proponents to rebut my belief that this will be detrimental to the people with the worst skills," he said.
Jerry Easley, chairman of the Albuquerque Employment Growth Initiative, said he was against the increase. He said $7.50 per hour will not help workers enough.
"To characterize $7.50 as a living wage is disingenuous," he said. "It will never support a family."
He said the increase would push employers out of Albuquerque. He said after the 2003 minimum wage increase in Santa Fe, several businesses including Lowe's and Chili's relocated or started businesses outside the city limit.
Melissa Binder, a professor of economics, said there was no proof businesses left Santa Fe because of the increase.
Student Roy Garza said he thought the debate was enlightening.
"It was very informative," he said. "I was going to vote for the increase, but now I don't know. I'll have to think about it."
Gerry Bradley, an economist for New Mexico Voices for Children, and Terri Cole, president of the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce also spoke at the event.
