ACORN is Dishonest Broker for Florida Workers

National Labor Group Promoting Increase In Florida's Wage Rate Once Sued California To Avoid Paying Its Own Workers Minimum Wage
  • Publication Date: August 2003

  • Topics: Minimum Wage

Washington – The national union organization leading the effort to hike Florida’s minimum wage to $6.15 once sued the state of California in order to avoid paying its own employees the state minimum wage. This is one example of a long, duplicitous history of The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in a report by The Employment Policies Institute (EPI), “The Real ACORN: Anti-Employee, Anti-Union, Big Business”.

In 1995 ACORN, a prominent organizer of unions and mandated wage increases, sued the state of California to have its own employees exempted from the state minimum wage. ACORN argued that being forced to pay higher wages would mean that they would hire fewer employees. The trial court judge dismissed ACORN’s suits as “absurd.”

“ACORN’s hypocrisy is appalling,” Richard Berman, Executive Director of The Employment Policies Institute said. “While they advocate mandated wage increases across the country, they sued to avoid paying the wage themselves. ACORN fully realizes the economic realities of minimum wage increases — job loss and displacement of low-skill workers, but only when it comes to their own employees.”

Consistent research shows that by requiring employers to pay a higher wage for positions once considered entry-level, minimum wage increases attract higher skilled employees to the job. Lower skilled employees and applicants find it more difficult to hold jobs or get hired in this new environment. A Boston University study by Dr. Kevin Lang found “the competition from higher quality workers makes low-skilled workers worse off.” At a time when unemployment is already high, increasing the minimum wage would be even more damaging to the outlook of these low-skill workers in the current market.

The full ACORN report is available online at www.EPIonline.org