Local News—Details

Efforts to stop wage increases hit snag

07/29/2010

Congressman Faleomavaega Eni’s efforts to halt annual increases in the local minimum wage have hit a snag.

A provision which was attached to a bill on CNMI submerged lands to do away with the 50 cent increases in 2010 and 2011 is on hold after a republican senator objected to the CNMI bill.

Congressman Faleomavaega said his office reached out to the Senator’s office and explained that H.R. 934 is in all probability one of the few options left to include minimum wage language for American Samoa prior to the next scheduled increase going into effect on September 30.

The Senator agreed to lift his hold on minimum wage for American Samoa and CNMI if the submerged lands request was taken out of the CNMI bill.
 
However, CNMI Congressman Sablan would not agree to remove his request to convey certain submerged lands to CNMI.”

Faleomavaega says they are waiting for Congressman Sablan to change his mind.

In the interim they are working to attach the minimum wage language to some other bill.

The congressman said given that CNMI also needs a delay in minimum wage, he's hopeful that Congressman Sablan will consider taking up his submerged land issues at a later date for the sake of a minimum wage victory now, although he  can appreciate that Sablan wants all he can get for CNMI.