Last Wednesday, the Nancy Pelosi-led House voted to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. In addition to the contintinenal US, the bill also extends for hte first time the federal minimum wage to the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands.
This leaves American Samoa as the only US territory not subject to minimum-wages laws.
Why do you think American Samoa has been specifically and deliberately excluded from the minium-wage laws? Could it have anything to do with shady politics by the “most powerful woman in America”?
One of the biggest opponents of the federal minimum wage in Samoa is StarKist Tuna, which owns one of the two packing plants that together employ more than 5,000 Samoans, or nearly 75 percent of the island’s work force. StarKist’s parent company, Del Monte Corp., has headquarters in San Francisco, which is represented by Mrs. Pelosi. The other plant belongs to California-based Chicken of the Sea.
On the surface here, it sure looks like Mrs. Pelosi is providing a little preferential treatment for her hometown constituants. Does Mrs. Pelosi think that tuna canners in American Samoa aren’t as deserving of an honest day’s pay as the rest of the US and its territories?
It goes without saying that if Starkist and Del Monte don’t have to increase their wages, then their profits will be higher. And if their profits are higher, guess who stands to profit? That’s right — investors.
And guess who is a “primary” Del Monte investor? Speaker Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, is a primary Del Monte investor, with $17 million in shares.
Unbelievable. Ms. Pelosi’s decision to exclude American Somoa is more than just constituent-favoring politics — it’s criminial behavior used to personally profit from her position as Speaker.
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UPDATE: After Republicans called out the Democrats and have shined a light on Pelosi’s attempts to pull a fast one — the Dems have suddenly had a “change of mind”, and are promising to un-exclude Pelosi’s little personal project.
Why can’t Pelosi just do the right thing the first time?
Sorry, but doing the “right thing” only after you’ve been caught trying to cheat doesn’t make you a good guy. It makes you a crook and a cheat who happened to get caught.
You mean by posing nude for Playboy?
Boy I wish I had been watching C-span when this was debated because I’d like to see who said what, etc. If, indeed, Pelosi did this because of her personal financial interests, that’s pretty damning of her ethics I’d say.
That’s very interesting. Not surprising, though. Good looking out, Robbie, I’d never heard of this.
I knew there was some dirt to dig up on this nasty woman!
Not only should they send her packing, they should enact TERM LIMITS to stop career politicians from feeding at the taxpayer trough for more than 2 terms.
They limit the president — why not the Congress?
Can we get some free tuna delivered to Octuplets. Looks like they both out to screw the taxpayer.
Sometimes the truth does hurt.
StarKist Samoa is owned by Dong Won fisheries, not Del Monte.
Congress did raise the minimum wage in American Samoa to meet US standards.
The result: Samoa Packed up and left, leaving 21oo employess with no wage.
Ironically (this is going to sting a little) The American Samoa governor distributed a petition asking that the minimum wage law (Mrs Pelosi) be rolled back. Almost 20,000 people signed.
You need to do a little more homework and rant on about Mrs. Pelosi on other issues.
From Pago Pago,
John Wasko