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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 13, 1996)
Wages Continued from Page 1 find a way to lift people up. Those people at the bottom of the ladder need to be brought up to a decent living wage.” Retired UNL economics profes sor Wallace Peterson testified that current poverty levels were at a point where families that live on minimum wage just couldn’t cut it. Peterson said an adult working full time at minimum wage earns $8,840, below the poverty line of $12,000. “An increase in minimum wage to $5.15 per hour would still not bring a family up to the poverty line,” he said, “for the shortfall would be $ 1,288. Still sizable, but much better than the current situa tion.” But Peterson said the minimum wage issue went beyond econom ics. “It is a matter of justice,” he said, “of how we treat people at the lower rungs of the economic and social ladder. “This won’t cure the problem, but it’s a step in the right direction,” he said after testifying. Iowa Democratic state Sen. Mike Gronstahl was on hand to tes tify that his state had not experi enced any problems since it raised the minimum wage to $4.65 in 1989. “It is a matter of justice, of how we treat people at the lower rungs of the economic and social ladder. ” WALLACE PETERSON Retired economics professor Gronstahl also told the commit tee that current legislation in Iowa proposed raising the minimum wage to $6. Wesely said opponents of the bill would say small businesses would be negatively affected by a pay raise, but he asked the committee to look no further than Iowa to prove those arguments false. “It’s been done, and that hasn’t happened,” Wesely said. “We can raise the minimum wage, and in so doing, not harm small businesses.” Gronstahl agreed and said the negative economic impact the raise had had on the state had been “barely a blip on the economic scope.” The increase would only affect those businesses across the state with four or more employees — about half, Wesely said. Opponents of the bill were heavily outnumbered Monday af temoon, but their testimony pro vided much of the day’s heated de bate. Ronald Lockard testified against the bill on behalf of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Indus try. Lockard told the committee the minimum wage was set by indi viduals considering each particular job and that entry-level positions were paid entry-level wages. And, Lockard said, “We do not force people to work at all.” “People aren’t dumb and stu pid,” he said. “They can make their own decisions.” Lockard, president of Technical Management Inc. of Lincoln, de bated with Sen. Ernie Chambers for some time. He told Chambers that as presi dent he did not pay his employees $30 an hour because he was a nice guy. “I’m not doing it out of the goodness of my heart,” he said. “Because in my business, it’s necessary to pay that person the wage to do that job.” Chambers did not argue that with Lockard, but he said he be lieved businesses had developed a social conscience. “If they could get someone to work for a nickel, they would,” Chambers said. Mark Lutz of the Nebraska Res taurant Association, said an in crease would be detrimental to the Scott Bruhn/DN John Krejci of Lincoln talks to Sen. Don Wesely after a discussion on LB1042 Monday afternoon, the bill proposes raising the state’s minimum wage to $5.15 per hour. restaurant industry. LB 1042 would cost Nebraska restaurants $23 million in additional wages, he said. An increase wouldn’t affect just those getting minimum wage, Lutz said. “This bill will go beyond just raising minimum wage. It will force up other hourly wages as well.” Richard Lutz, executive vice president of the restaurant associa tion, said that the current $4.25 minimum wage was an excellent starting wage. “We feel we have to go by the market,” he said. “The minimum wage has been used as a starting wage. “You’ve got to start someplace ” It's Time To Get On-Line. Please check the following locations for announcements of upcoming BIGRED and Netscape classes: ♦ The door outside Bancroft Hall, Room 239 ♦ The Computer Shop: 501 Building, Room 123 ♦ The CVIS television: Union, Administration Building and Campus Rec Center ♦ Your BIGRED account—Answer "Y" to: View schedule of BIGRED training classes? Adrnlss'°n‘ AdUrt-^.oo Vouth -$2> Student - FrEE .^^f0"'0"6 .dea(oondWP'°wsVe9aS n-c—^ nJ^^Qoee • '-e &X^aXeCo^& "** • |§^gg^ SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENINGI Adam Sandler Happy Gilmore He doesn’t play golf... He destroys it. UNIVERSAL P1CIII' fera a HI BRILLSTE1N-BRAD GREY ROBERT SIM raora® a DENNIS DL'GAN film ADAM SANDLER "HAPPY GILMORE" CHRISTOPHER McDOXALD JULIE BOWEN anp CARUYEAIHERS l,l'S MARK MOTHIRSBAIGH Kll!BRAD GREY BERNIE BRIILBIEIN 'ANDY WERNICK ‘“"RBI HERL1HI„ ADAM SANDIER ROBERT S1M0NDS '’"“""DENNIS DUGAN A UNIVERSAL RELEASE«—* FREE MOVIE POSTERS Wednesday Feb 14 7:00 PM Ross Film Theater Pick up Free Passes At The Office for Student Involvement 200 Neb Union / 300 E. Union egr KNOW THE CODE" dial 11-800-COLLECP • a [|i in mam ■■ ■■ m' Always costs less than 1-800-C0LLECT* \bur1hj* Choto*