June 17, 2014 – RI Future

June 17, 2014June 20, 2014

Hotel hunger strike begins as Senate quickly passes budget

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In response to the quick passage of the Mattiello budget by the Rhode Island Senate last night, the Providence hotel workers advocating for a $15 minimum wage had to quickly begin their hunger strike protest earlier today. The women participating in the hunger strike were interviewed by a doctor about their medical histories and given advice on how to best deal with the stresses a lack of food was going to inflict on their bodies.

Dr. Nick Tsiongas was not in any way advising that these women go on a hunger strike, but given that they were committed to this course of action, did offer some advice on how to do so in the safest possible way.

Shortly after Dr. Tsiongas talked to the women and to me on camera, word came down from the State House facilities department that the tents being used by the women to keep themselves out of the hot sun had to come down. Unbrellas and folding chairs would be allowed, but the tents, it was said, might cause damage to the marble on the Smith Street side of the State House.

I spoke briefly to hunger striker Mirjaam Parada, the woman who came up with the idea of the hunger strike. She got the idea from history, and the efforts of people in El Salvador to call attention to the terrible conditions there as the Reagan Administration funded the right wing Contra death squads in the 1980s. A raise in the minimum wage will not benefit Parada directly, she already makes more than $15 an hour as a cook. She is involved because she is committed to the idea of democracy and to the rights of workers.

The same is true of the other two women who could begin the hunger strike today. Shelby Maldonado is a Central Falls City Councillor and union organizer. Santa Brito was employed at an area hotel, but was fired shortly after the birth of her son, possibly because of her outspoken labor organizing activities. Neither will directly benefit from a wage in the minimum wage. Instead, they are committed to the right of all workers to a living wage and to the principles of democracy.

Our state legislators could learn a lot from these brave women, if they would only stop and listen.

You can listen to Dr. Nick Tsiongas’ advice to the hunger strikers below.

June 17, 2014June 17, 2014

Hotel activists, CF City Councilor will move forward with hunger strike

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Four Providence hotel workers and a Central Falls city councilor say they will go ahead with their planned hunger strike despite even though the state legislature already acted on their issue and Governor Chafee said he intends to sign the municipal minimum wage mandate into law.

“My neighbors should be able to vote on whether or not the hotel owners should give us a raise,” said Santa Brito in a press release. “I am fighting for the future of my son.”

Brito, a leader of the effort, worked at the Renaissance Hotel. She will be joined by Mirjaam Parada, who works at the Omni Hotel, Yilenny Ferreras, who worked at the Providence Hilton and Central Falls City Councilor Shelby Maldonado.

“As an elected official, I want the power to address issues directly, like the minimum wage, for my constituents,” Maldonado said. “I know that workers in my community, many of whom are hotel workers, need a raise. I want the people of Providence to vote and be heard.”

The hunger strike arose from the Providence hotel workers fight for a $15 an hour minimum wage.

The issue began when city hotel workers petitioned the Providence City Council to institute a $15 minimum wage at hotels with more than 25 rooms. On the same night the City Council put the issue on the November ballot, last Thursday, the state House of Representatives passed a budget amendment that prevents cities and towns from implementing a minimum wage higher than the state rate. The Senate approved the budget bill on Monday and Governor Chafee has since indicated he will sign it into law.

The hunger strike is expected to begin on Thursday.

June 17, 2014

RI House provided argument against home rule

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Of great concern last Thursday night for some members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives was the potential of there being something like 39 different minimum wage laws. Again and again, representatives warned of economic disaster if the City of Providence passed a law mandating $15 an hour for hotel workers; and so in response they took away the ability of all cities and towns to pass minimum wage ordinances. It was as naked a revocation of power as has ever been seen in Rhode Island.

Some argued that there shouldn’t be different wages for different jobs. But the budget contained no action to close the tipped wage loophole in Rhode Island. In the minds of those voting for the article, it’s wrong to raise wages for a select few above the state minimum wage, but it’s perfectly fine to pay people less than the state minimum wage.

More to the point, in their repeated invocations of “39 different…” the state’s representatives continually argued against the very existence of the cities and towns that they supposedly represent. Why have “39 different” permitting processes? Why have “39 different” different zoning systems and approval processes? Why have “39 different” school systems (yes, I know in reality there are less)? The possibility of confusing contradictions between jurisdictions never seemed to bother the House of Representatives at any point prior to this moment. As far as I know, not a single candidate ran against the complex maze of towns and cities we have.

Indeed, why even bother having the charade of “39 different” governments, considering how detrimental that could be to business? That’s quite a lot of officials to lobby and donate to. Rhode Island could be far more competitive if they only had to donate to the leadership of, say, 113 people divided into two chambers. Although it might cause damage to Rhode Island’s lobbyist businesses if there was a sudden reduction in the number of government officials to wine and dine.

Now, in practice, there are a number of economically fine counties about the size of Rhode Island in terms of geography and population that have dozens of governments more than Rhode Island. It ultimately goes to show that it’s not the amount of governments that matter, but rather the quality of them. And the quality of Rhode Island’s state government is so low that should anyone seriously suggest moving to a city-state style of government, with the General Assembly in charge of everything, there’d probably be a mass revolt.

That thought should’ve given pause to lawmakers on Thursday night, and a week before that when Rep. Raymond Gallison added the provision to the budget. While the Assembly cries constantly about not wanting to meddle in the affairs of business, meddling in the affairs of its people appears entirely acceptable.