It’s gonna be another fantastic day at the Great Minnesota Get-Together!
Brad Carlson and I will be broadcasting from our booth on Machinery Hill – on Underwood, just south of Murphy, right next to the Home Depot pavilion:
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I’ll be on the air today. My guests will be:
- EJ Haust – from Project Veritas, as well as many other venues of activism
- Cam Winton, independent candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis
Tune in from 5-6PM, or listen on IHeartRadio or at the AM1280 website!
Been there twice so far. Crowds are really down, or have been, probably due to the heat. The Republican booth is always a favorite stop for the atmosphere and the water fountain in back.
You can’t miss the DFL compound because of the large overhead sign supporting a raise of the minimum wage to $9.50 from the current $6.15/ hour.
I couldn’t help but wonder how many supporters of this move also work at the already over-priced fair, and have given the idea much in-depth thought.
I have, and hate to imagine what that increase would do to the already inflated prices and present $12 admission. A little heat seemed to have a drastic impact on attendance. What do you think that a 50% pay raise for many, probably most, Fair workers will do? Many visitors will likely not want to wash down their $10 corn dog with a $12 12oz. paper cup of Premium. Maybe a price freeze or loosening of EBT standards would help … Better yet, SEUI could start a temporary worker program. After all, it’s only fair …
Actually, I think most of the people who work for the Fair proper are already making well above minimum wage. My stepson worked on the SkyRide years ago, and made a lot better than Minimum.
As to individual booths? I think that’s largely up to them – but stepson also worked at a private booth, and he made better than minimum too. But the economy was very different back then (1996-97 or so).
OT: Mitch, not sure if you saw this yet, but a follow up should provide some comic relief from our resident chihuhua: http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/08/28/somali-immigrants-charged-with-2012-voter-fraud-in-minnesota/
Mr. Berg, thanks for the input on Fair employment. I’d have assumed that it was pretty much straight minimum wage proposition.
I have to say that the people I see working for the Fair, or appear to be by their T-shirts, seem to do a good job. We’ve always been impressed by the gate people, both young and old, who seem quite friendly, patient and helpful. Those doing clean-up and stuff like that always keep moving, too. I’m more impressed by those who do good work at lower paying jobs than I am by those who do it for a big salary.
Money probably isn’t their prime motivator, but it can’t hurt. If/when the minimun wage takes a 50% hike, I wonder if their wages will, too. If all of a sudden the motivated Fair employees are making the same as, or only a bit more than, the run-of-the-mill slugs, will they be as motivated?
I think events like the Fair will probably be the canaries in the coal mine as to reflecting the unintended consequences of a “living minimum wage.”