>> AMONG THE QUESTIONS ON THE BALLOT ON TUESDAY AND ALREADY FOR THOSE YOU WHO HAVE VOTED
ALREADY, IS A POTENTIAL HIKE IN
THE HOURLY WAGE FOR FLORIDA’S
LOWEST WAGE EARNERS.
>> AMENDMENT TWO OF THE 6 ON
YOUR BALLOT PROPOSESES RAISING
FLORIDA’S MINIMUM WAGE TO AN
EVENTUAL $15 AN HOUR, OPPONENTS
SAY THE COST AND UNINTENDED
CONSEQUENCES WOULD BE JUST TOO
MUCH.
AND YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR THAT
ARGUMENT BUT FIRST THE SUPPORT
FOR IT FROM THE CENTRAL FROR DA
ATTORNEY WHO LEAD THE EFFORT TO
GET THE PIN MUM WAGE RAISED ON
THE BALLOT JOHN MORGAN THERE
WITH US VIA SKYPE FROM NEAR
DAYTONA BEACH, GOOD TO SEE YOU,
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> HOW ARE YOU?
>> WELL, WE’RE DOING VERY WELL.
WE ARE VERY GLAD TO SEE YOU
AGAIN, BEEN AWHILE SINCE YOU’VE
BEEN ON OUR PROGRAM.
FIRST OF ALL, TELL US WHY SHOULD
THE HOURLY WAGE BE RAISED OVER
THE COURSE OF ABOUT FIVE YEARS
TO 15 DOLLARS AN HOUR.
WHY DO YOU SUPPORT IT?
>> BECAUSE THE MINIMUM WAGE AND
THAT NOW EXISTS IS NOT A LIVING
WAGE.
PEOPLE ARE WORKING LIKE CRAZY,
ONE, TWO, THREE JOBS AND EVEN
AFTER THAT, THEY HE HAD UP TO A
FOOD BANK TO BEG FOR FREA FOOD.
THAT IS-- THAT SHOULD NOT HATCH
IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
>> AND SO TO YOUR POINT, THE
FOOD BANKS ESPECIALLY NOW DURING
COVID, WHY LINES HAVE BEEN SO
LONG AND PEOPLE ARE REALLY
STRUGGLING BUT THEN SO ARE THE
CORPORATIONS AND ESPECIALLY THE
SMALL BUSINESSES WHO OPERATE ARE
STRUGGLING AS WELL AND WE HAVE
HEARD FROM SO MANY EVENTS SAYING
LISTEN, AT THIS POINT IN COVID,
ESPECIALLY THE SERVICE INDUSTRY
THAT HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN JUST
CAN’T AFFORD THAT.
AND THREATEN TO CUT HOURS AND
JOBS SO THAT THE VICTIMS MIGHT
BE THOSE VERY PEOPLE THAT A
MINIMUM WAGE WAGE HIKE WOULD
HELP, HOW DO YOU ADDRESS THAT?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THEY’RE
NOT GOING TO CUT ANY JOBS.
EITHER THEY’RE GOING TO DO YOU
THINK THEY WILL MOP THE FLOOR,
COOK THE FOOD, WEIGHTS THE
TABLES, NO THEY ARE NOT GOING TO
CUT ANY JOBS, THEY ARE NOT GOING
TO DOT HARD WORK, THE ESSENTIAL
WORK.
REMEMBER, THIS DOESN’T TAKE
PLACE UNTIL NOVEMBER OF
2021-- $10 AN HOUR T DOESN’T HIT
GALLON 15 FOR SIX YEARS.
PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO USE THE
PANDEMIC AS THE WAY TO KEEP
PEOPLE DOWN, ARE DESPICABLE
BECAUSE IT IS LIKE BLAMING 9/11,
WELL, WE HAD 9/11 SO WE CAN’T
RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE 8.56 TO
$10 FOR OUR MOST ESSENTIAL
WORKERS.
WE NOW KNOW WHAT AN ESSENTIAL
WORKER IS.
AND WHO THEY ARE.
AND WHAT THEY DO.
AND THEY PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE
LINE EVERY DAY FOR SLAVE WAGES.
IT’S OUT RAGE-- OUTRAGEOUS.
>> YEAH, JOHN, ARE YOU THE
CHAIRMAN, FOUNDER OF THIS GROUP
FLORIDA FOR A FAIR WAGE.
THEY HAVE RAISED ABOUT 6 BOY 2
MILLION.
I’VE GOT A FEELING THAT MOST OF
THAT MONEY IS FROM YOU.
SO I GUESS WE COULD SAY YOU HAVE
PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH
IS.
I MEAN THAT IS MOSESLY-- MONEY,
ISN’T IT.
>> AFTER TAXES MONEY, YES, IT IS
BUT I BELIEVE THIS, I BELIEVE
THAT THIS COUNTRY, WHEN YOU HAVE
HAVE THE GOOD LUCK TO HAVE GOOD
LUCK, GOOD FORTUNE YOU ARE
REQUIRED, ARE YOU MANDATED TO
SHARE THAT FORTUNE, TO SHAWR
THAT GOOD LUCK WITH THE PEOPLE
WHO DIDN’T HAVE THE SAME LUCK.
SO THAT IS WHY I DID IT.
>> SO THE GOAL, THE REALLY
WELL-INTENTIONED GOAL,
OBVIOUSLY, IS TO EVENTUALLY
ERADICATION EXTREME INEQUALITY
THAT WE SEE IN ALMOST EVERY CITY
IN THE STATE AND ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
DOES $15 AN HOUR DO THAT?
NOT REALLY.
I MEAN, AND $10 DEFINITELY
DOESN’T BUT I HAD TO PUTS ON
THERE WHAT I COULD GET TO AT
LEAST ADVANC THE BALL.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WHAT PEOPLE WOULD
LIKE IS TO HAVE NO-- WAGE THAT
IS HOW WE PAY OUR PIE GRANT WORK
WORKERS, THEY ARE PAID ILLEGALLY
AND ALMOST UNLAWFULLY BECAUSE
PEOPLE LIKE TO HAVE ALL THOSE
FREE LABOR.
-- ALMOST FREE LABOR, SO IT IS
THE BEST CAN I DO TO GET,
REMEMBER, WE HAVE TO PASS THIS
WITH 60% OF THE VOTE, SO THERE
IS A LOT THAT I WOULD HAVE
WANTED TO DO MORE.
BUT YOU STILL GOT TO FACE
POLITICAL REALITY.
>> YEAH.
JOHN, AT THE RISK OF ASKING YOU
TO REPEAT YOURSELF IN JUST A
MINUTE, WE ARE GOING TO SPEAK TO
A GENTLEMAN HERE IN MIAMI DADE
WHO OWNS A GROUP OF VERY GOOD
RESTAURANTS AND HE IS GOING TO
SAY IF I HAVE TO PAY A MINIMUM
WAGE OF $10 AN HOUR EVENTUALLY
$15, I’M GOING TO LAYOFF
BUSBOYS, DISHWASHERS, LINE
COOKS, I WILL HAVE HAVE ALL
KINDS OF PEOPLE, I CAN’T AFFORD.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT.
>> IF HE SAYS THAT, HE IS A LIE
ARE.
I OWN RESTAURANTS.
I OWN HOTELS, I OWN ATTRACTIONS,
I’M NOT GOING TO BUS TABLES.
I’M NOT GOING TO WASH DISHES,
I’M NOT GOING TO WAIT ON TABLESK
I’M NOT GOING TO MAKE BEDS, MOW
GRASS AND NEITHER IS HE, HE JUST
WANTS FREE OR ALMOST FREE LABOR,
HE IS A LIAR.
CONDITIONS CAN I MITIGATE THAT
FOR JUST A MINUTE WITH A NUMBER,
77% INCREASE IN PAYROLL IN THE
SERVICE INDUSTRY IS THE
PROJECTION.
AND THEN JOHN THE SERVICE
INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW IS PROBABLY
THE INDUSTRY STRUGGLING MOST.
SO 77 PERCENT INCREASE IN
PAYROLL IS A HARD NUMBER AND I
THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE A PRETTY
BIG NUMBER.
>> YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IS IN
YEAR SIX.
THAT IS IN YEAR SIX.
I’M 64 YEARS OLD.
BY THE TIME WE GET TO YEAR SIX I
WILL EITHER BE 70 OR DEAD.
SO THESE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SAY
THERE SAY HUGE INCREASE, IN THE
SERVICE INDUSTRY, I AM IN THE
RESTAURANT BUSINESS, I’M IN THE
HOTEL BUSINESS.
THE WAY IT SHOULD WORK IS THAT
YOU BUILD A TIP INTO THE CHECK
BECAUSE A LOT OF WAITRESSES,
WAITERS, BARTENDERS GET STIFFED
AFTER WORKING THEIR HANDS TO THE
BONE.
AND BY THE WAY, WE DO A LOT OF
WAGE THEFT CASES IN FLORIDA,
HAVE 40 LAUERS, DO YOU KNOW WHO
THE NUMBER ONE OFFENDER OF
STEALING THE EMPLOYEES WAGES?
RESTAURANTS, OVERTIME, TO AND
FROM WORK, POOLING TIPS T IS THE
INDUSTRY THAT IS RIPE WITH WAGE
THEFT AS AS, BECAUSE THIS IS
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE, SOME PEOPLE
CHOOSE TO NEVER GO INTO THE
RESTAURANT BUSINESS BECAUSE 80%
GO OUT OF BUSINESS IN FOUR YEARS
AND 60% GO OUT IN ONE YEAR.
>> IT IS A VERY TOUGH BUSINESS,
JOHN MORGAN.
YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED ENORMOUSLY IN
BOTH, ALL THOSE BUSINESSES AND
IN YOUR LAW FIRM, MORE GAB AND
MORGAN, WE APPRECIATE YR TIME