The newest take in the Minimum Wage Is All the Rage fad:
Before exploring the employment situation in Culver City, uniquely positioned Steve Rose of the Chamber of Commerce offered a suggestion to policymakers at City Hall:
With the Los Angeles City Council and the County Board of Supervisors both forcing the minimum wage upward in surrounding neighborhoods, Culver City should march to its own drummer.
“I would tell the city to follow the state minimum wage,” said Mr. Rose, in his second century as president and CEO of the Chamber
“That way you can get the state Dept. of Labor who will enforce the law.
“If the city brings in their own minimum wage, who will bear the burden of enforcement?,” he asked rhetorically.
Nine dollars is the hourly wage minimum in California. It is scheduled to rise to $10 on Jan, 1. However, elements in the state Legislature, led by Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), are advocating a leap, instead, to $11 on Jan. 1. The outcome is not yet clear.
On a related topic, Mr. Rose alluded to round pegs and square holes in regional employment.
“I have been reading that there is a shortage of skilled labor,” he said. “Yet skilled labor wages will be going up shortly because of the lack of skilled labor, by which I mean, say, a college education.
“Now this is not a Chamber view but my view that the importance of education is being lost throughout society. The elite are just thinking of higher education when President Obama wants to give free college to everyone.
“The truth is,” said Mr. Rose, “there is a greater need for community colleges and trade schools. The definition of trade school is an expanded one — not just being a carpenter or plumber but learning to be a computer tech or communications tech. There is a whole sphere of jobs that are necessary to make our society function.
“Even here in Culver City, there is a tremendous amount of high-tech manufacturing that has been begging for workers.
“Our society needs to realize a four-year traditional college education is not for everyone.”
