Last year, unions in Los Angeles tried to exempt themselves from the city's newly-passed law that would eventually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. After a boatload of backlash from this proposed amendment, the issue was tabled, but now it's being considered once again.
While union officials claim that they'd be able to replace the lost wages with increased benefits, others aren't buying it.
Union leaders argue the amendment would give businesses and unions the freedom to negotiate better agreements, which might include lower wages but could make up the difference in other benefits such as healthcare. They argue that such exemptions might make businesses more open to unionization.
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“It’s pretty hypocritical for unions to push a $15 wage law and then exempt themselves from the policy,” Matt Haller, senior vice-president of communications and public affairs at the International Franchise Association, said.
This is extremely hypocritical, and it's a fairly obvious ploy to increase union membership (and collect dues from these new members). The very same union officials who are now trying to exempt their members from the wage are the ones who campaigned for it. By making unions exempt to the wage, it's putting union-run businesses at a competitive advantage to other businesses, and that's not right. A minimum wage should apply to everyone--that's the point.