The FEDERAL minimum wage level.
News flash. The STATE minimum wage of California is at $8.00 per hour.
So... Arnie... in order to show everybody else in California that you're serious about being governor, you stated when discussing this proposed temporary pay cut that "I'm the CEO of the state. I have a certain responsibility..." and then you are backing up that statement by completely ignoring your own state's minimum wage reqirements? Uh, yuh, people are REALLY gonna take you seriously now!
Perhaps the governor, and /or the people paid (way over minimum wage) to do his research for him could have benefitted from checking out this handy Q & A from their own state's Department Of Industrial Relations website:
Q. What is the difference between the state and federal minimum wage?
A. Most employers in California are subject to both the federal and state minimum wage laws. The effect of this dual coverage is that when there are conflicting requirements in the laws, the employer must follow the stricter standard; that is, the one that is the most beneficial to the employee. Thus, since California's current law requires a higher minimum wage rate than does the federal law, all employers in California who are subject to both laws must pay the state minimum wage rate unless their employees are exempt under California law.
Oh, sure you can fall back on the 2003 state Supreme Court decision that states that what you're fixing to do is technically legal, but this is completely penny wise and pound foolish in that, now the state worker unions like SEIU have an excuse to fight the previous court decision and wipe it out like it never really happened! So in essense, if you actually try to initiate this pay cut, you could help to eventually rule it unconstitutional! Great! And apparently the state controller is considering that part of the issue, so nyah. Nyah. Nyah nyah. Nyah.
Shit! There's plenty of time until the next election in 2010! Time to file some papers! Secretary of State's office, here I come! If this is what amounts to the decisions required of the governor of California, I'm running! I know that I can do much better than this shit, and I don't even want the job! But what the fuck, if Schwarzenegger's proven anything over the past few years, it's that anyone can keep the seat warm at the Capitol! So let's roll! Posters! T-Shirts! Soft money PayPal donations! Stat!
(Want to read the transcript of the whole "technicality" court decision that Arnie and Co. are harping on about? Click Here, Pilgrim)
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