Birmingham City Council Ups the Minimum Wage
The Birmingham City Council’s agenda was long, but all anyone seemed to care about was what the minimum wage would be come Wednesday.
The council passed the initial minimum wage ordinance unanimously in August (Councilor Valerie Abbott abstained), but today, members were divided.
Councilors Kim Rafferty and Valerie Abbott voted against the ordinance. Abbott said she’d received multiple emails from business owners who were worried how they’d comply if the higher wage went in effect tomorrow.
“I think that that’s a little bit of a short notice for businesses in Birmingham to be told that they have to raise people’s wages on tomorrow,” Abbott said.
Abbott also cautioned about starting a fight with the Legislature.
Last year, Birmingham passed a stair-step raise in its minimum wage, with an eventual increase to $10.10 by 2017.
Then, last week, the Alabama House of Representative passed a bill that would stop cities in Alabama from raising their own minimum wages, and that bill is presently being debated in the Senate.
But Council President Johnathan Austin said he was up for it. He and other councilors argued the state should not be involved in local affairs.
“The Legislature is 100 percent in favor of states rights, yet they want to come in and dictate to this elected body, who we were elected by these citizens, what we do and how we govern ourselves,” Austin argued.
The ordinance passed with a six to two vote. But, the law department noted that the ordinance would not take effect until it was officially published, which could be later this week.
Tesla’s quarterly sales fall 13%. Experts blame Musk
The disappointing global deliveries of the company's electric car models come as CEO Elon Musk's role as President Trump's cost-cutting czar sparks a backlash among consumers.
Legal scholar sees immigrant arrests as a ‘struggle for the soul of the country’
As ICE agents arrest international students at campuses across the U.S., professor Daniel Kanstroom discusses the law — and the human cost. He says the round-ups are designed to "send a message."
Hardcore has never been more visible. For Scowl, it’s an opportunity to keep expanding it
Over the last few years, hardcore has transformed from an underground subculture into a mainstream phenomenon. Scowl is one of the unwitting torchbearers for this paradigm shift, but their success hasn't come without tension.
See the moment Sen. Cory Booker broke Strom Thurmond’s record
As he broke a record set when Thurmond stood against the Civil Rights Act, Booker said, "I'm not here, though, because of his speech. I'm here despite his speech. I'm here because, as powerful as he was, the people were more powerful."
5 takeaways from Tuesday’s elections, including bad news for Elon Musk
Democrats can take yesterday's elections as one of the first bits of good news they've had in months. But there are lots of issues that are still center-right, including immigration.
Birmingham names new police chief
After a four month wait, Birmingham has a new police chief. Tuesday morning, Mayor Randall Woodfin announced that interim chief Michael Pickett is taking on the role permanently.
