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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSen. Joe Manchin, left, and National Restaurant Association Executive Vice President Sean Kennedy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This report was written by Joel Warner and Andrew Perez.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When Joe Manchin told attendees at the National Restaurant Association (NRA)\u2019s national conference on Tuesday that the minimum wage shouldn\u2019t be more than $11 and there should still be a subminimum wage for tipped workers, the group\u2019s chief lobbyist couldn’t contain his excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom your lips to God\u2019s ears,\u201d exclaimed Sean Kennedy, the NRA’s executive vice president of public affairs, who spoke with the Democratic senator from West Virginia as part of a virtual panel entitled, \u201cSeeking Unity: Conversations on Finding Bipartisan Solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NRA is a powerful, sprawling lobbying operation, with $289 million<\/a> in revenue in 2018 and state affiliates around the country. The organization has been leading the charge to block a federal $15 minimum wage and is also fighting a separate Democratic effort to make it easier for workers to form unions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Manchin, along with Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, were added to the NRA conference line-up<\/a> after they joined six other Democrats in blocking an attempt by Sen. Bernie Sanders to add a $15 minimum wage provision to the Democrats\u2019 COVID-19 relief legislation in March. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Both lawmakers have also spoken out against efforts to reform the filibuster \u2014 a stand that will keep a lid on many key Democratic legislative priorities \u2014 and they have recently enjoyed cash infusions<\/a> from business interests that would be affected by the party\u2019s proposals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Manchin and Sinema\u2019s statements at the conference, reportedly attended by several hundred restaurant operators from around the country, pull back the curtain on what they say to corporate interests when they\u2019re out of the public eye. The NRA event, billed as \u201coff the record\u201d and \u201cclosed to press,\u201d was the association\u2019s annual \u201cpublic affairs conference,\u201d which means it was designed for lobbyists and focused on shaping legislation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During Sinema\u2019s talk, Kennedy praised senator as a \u201ctrue moderate.\u201d She responded: \u201cMy approach has always remained the same. I promised Arizonans that I would do things differently than some in Washington, and that I would be an independent voice for our state, not for any political party.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sinema said she believes that \u201cachieving lasting results on the issues that matter to everyday Americans really requires bipartisan solutions,\u201d and she called on her \u201ccolleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in my approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In truth, however, Sinema\u2019s political approach and viewpoint on the minimum wage have shifted considerably<\/a> since she first got into politics. She was at one time considered a progressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During his talk, Manchin specifically took aim at Sanders for continuing to push for a $15 minimum wage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been having meetings on minimum wage, and I can\u2019t for the life of me understand why they don\u2019t take a win on $11,\u201d he said. \u201cBernie Sanders is totally committed in his heart and soul that $15 is the way to go. Well, it might be the way to go, Bernie, but it ain\u2019t gonna go. You don\u2019t have the votes for it. It\u2019s not going to happen. So they\u2019re going to walk away with their pride, saying we fought for $15, got nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Manchin said there are other Democrats who agree with him that \u201cthe path they\u2019re going down is wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that he doesn\u2019t think the minimum wage should be increased to more than $11, and he said there should still be a lower subminimum wage for workers who rely on tips. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf it comes down to one person, I don\u2019t believe it should be above $11, I don\u2019t think the tipped wage should ever go above half of that,\u201d Manchin said. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, and the subminimum wage for tipped workers is $2.13. West Virginia has an $8.75<\/a> minimum wage, with a $2.62 tipped wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response, Kennedy gushed to Manchin: \u201cYou and your staff have been absolutely amazing in working with small businesses, including the National Restaurant Association, in finding a common-sense path, so we can wrap up that aspect by just saying thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kennedy, who previously served in the Obama White House as a special assistant to the president for legislative affairs, has become the public face of corporate opposition to a $15 minimum wage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Raise the Wage Act imposes an impossible challenge for the restaurant industry,\u201d Kennedy noted in a statement<\/a> earlier this year. \u201cA nationwide increase in the minimum wage will create insurmountable costs for many operators in states.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kennedy\u2019s talking points contrast with statements made by executives<\/a> from several of the NRA\u2019s biggest member restaurants, including Denny\u2019s, Domino\u2019s, and the Cheesecake Factory, who have indicated to investors that increasing the minimum wage wouldn\u2019t be an overwhelming burden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In January, for example, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told investors: \u201cOur view is the minimum wage is most likely going to be increasing whether that’s federally or at the state level as I referenced, and so long as it’s done… in a staged way and in a way that is equitable for everybody, McDonald\u2019s will do just fine through that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n During his talk on Tuesday, Manchin reiterated his opposition to eliminating the legislative filibuster, which currently allows Republicans to block most legislation, outside of spending bills, unless Democrats can find 60 votes. The Senate is currently split 50-50, and Democrats only have a 51-vote majority with Vice President Kamala Harris able to break ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou get rid of the filibuster and we will not be the country we are for this reason: You\u2019ll have the violent swings, extreme swings, every time there\u2019s an election, whichever party is in power,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be no different than a lot of European countries are, no different than a lot of developing countries. It\u2019s whoever\u2019s in power, and basically it swings. Everything\u2019s thrown out and started over. We have been a country and we have grown as a country with a consistency that people could depend on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labor activists were thrilled when Manchin on Monday said he would cosponsor<\/a> Democrats\u2019 landmark labor reform legislation<\/a>, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act \u2014 meaning there are now only three Democrats who have not signed onto the bill. Sinema is one of the holdouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Manchin\u2019s position on the filibuster makes it unlikely the PRO Act will advance at all, as there is basically no chance that ten Republicans will support the legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Sinema didn\u2019t speak about the filibuster specifically, she said, \u201cWhat I\u2019m telling my colleagues is that we cannot accept a new standard by which important legislation only passes on party line votes. If we were to accept that, it would set the stage for permanent partisan dysfunction, it would deepen the divisions that exist within our country, and it would further erode Americans\u2019 confidence in their government, which we know is a challenge we face already.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When Kennedy asked Sinema what restaurant operators should know about communicating with lawmakers, she replied that \u201cSenators need to hear from their constituents\u2026 They may have a public position on an issue, but it\u2019s also that person\u2019s job to represent his or her constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A March poll of Sinema\u2019s constituents<\/a> found that 52 percent of independents in Arizona and 72 percent of Democrats support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Arizona\u2019s minimum wage is currently $12.15<\/a>, with a tipped wage of $9.15<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same poll found that only 50 percent of Democrats viewed her favorably, down from 65 percent in January. The change came after Sinema attracted national attention for the overly performative way she flashed a thumbs down on the Senate floor to spike the $15 minimum wage provision that would have boosted the paychecks of 839,000 workers<\/a> in her state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the NRA conference, Sinema, who recently posted a photo of herself<\/a> on Instagram wearing a ring that read, \u201cFuck Off,\u201d said it\u2019s important to treat people with respect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As she advised lobbyists in attendance, \u201cYou always want to be polite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This newsletter relies on readers pitching in to support it. If you like what you just read and want to help expand this kind of journalism, consider becoming a paid subscriber by clicking this link<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cIt Might Be The Way To Go, Bernie, But It Ain\u2019t Gonna Go\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe Will Not Be The Country We Are\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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