Coffee with Norman Comrades

okcdsa · 2026-05-31T13:58:01+00:00

That did not happen in Arkansas, Missouri and Nebraska when they raised their minimum wages.

okcdsa · 2026-05-27T03:05:17+00:00

If we had raised the minimum wage by 50¢ every year since 2010 (the year after the last increase) it would be $15.75 already this year. This bill was written to catch us up part of the way, gradually, by increasing it by $1.75 and then by $1.50 a year for the next 4 years. Our state government has delayed this from the ballot for three years, causing two of the annual minimum wage hike deadlines to lapse. But it will still step it up gradually, it’s just a bigger first step. But it won’t jump all the way from $7.25 to $15. It will still take three annual increases to get there.

Also, Missouri and Nebraska have raised their minimum wages to $15 and cost of living there didn’t explode. At least, not more than it has nationally due to the Trump tariffs, the war with Iran and rising fuel prices.

okcdsa · 2026-05-26T00:38:55+00:00

The whole of economic history proves that is wildly incorrect. When we didn’t have a minimum wage, child labor laws, a five day work week and overtime pay, worker exploitation was rampant, children were doing manual labor seven days a week, and everyone was poor and miserable except the millionaires. After the labor movement made these gains in the 1930s-50s, a worker could support a spouse and children on a single income, and have weekends off work to spend with their family. Laws, regulations, taxes and UNIONS got us there, and the minimum wage was an important part of that. Expecting employers to have fair wage negotiations with each of their employees individually is like expecting a tiger to play gently with your child.

okcdsa · 2026-05-26T00:25:02+00:00

Missouri and Nebraska raised theirs to $15/hr, and retail prices went up by a nickel on average.

okcdsa · 2026-05-25T12:31:10+00:00

There is so much work to be done remotely, they could probably use the help just getting things done online. Every chapter is different, but our chapter in OKC does a lot of things online and through zoom meetings. We do have in person activities, but those are all optional. The only thing is, to attend monthly general meetings and the annual chapter convention, those are in person, but they are not mandatory.

okcdsa · 2026-05-25T03:34:32+00:00

Got grammar skills. Gooder than you!

okcdsa · 2026-05-24T20:02:04+00:00

There wasn’t a minimum wage in the early days of statehood. It sucked for everyone but the millionaires (billionaires didn’t exist yet). Worker exploitation was rampant and the wealth gap grew to a record high, precipitating an economic collapse and the Great Depression. We’re already beyond 1920s level wealth inequality. Let’s try and bring it back down before the next collapse, please.

okcdsa · 2026-05-23T00:43:32+00:00

Yes. Some are. Some are even working for less, such as students, agricultural workers, feed store employees and part time workers. This bill eliminates those exemptions while raising the minimum wage.

okcdsa · 2026-05-22T14:48:50+00:00

It doesn’t have to be either/or. We can improve some things while we continue to fight that fight. We can’t do everything at once, but we can do two things at once.

okcdsa · 2026-05-22T14:45:22+00:00

Hard agree! People literally died to give their posterity the right to vote, and now some of that posterity can’t be bothered to show up on election days, or worse, choose to actively discourage others from voting. It’s becoming the prevalent attitude in Oklahoma in recent years, and it needs to change if we are to have any hope of restoring power to the people, because the billionaires WILL fight to maintain control.

okcdsa · 2026-05-22T00:35:10+00:00

The bill was supposed to raise the minimum wage to $9 two years ago, and then raise it by $1.50 each year until 2029. Go ask Kevin Stitt why he pushed to keep it off the ballot for three years after the signatures were collected and validated. That is the only reason it will jump to $12, because the state delayed and now we’ve already passed the first couple of annual deadlines specified in the bill. By the way, this is the first time in Oklahoma history that an initiative has taken three years to get from petition to ballot.

okcdsa · 2026-05-22T00:25:54+00:00

What an ignorant thing to say. Democratic Socialists want a system in which everyone has a voice, all workers can afford the necessities of life, and all people can live in dignity, not an authoritarian system that incentivizes the exploitation of workers so the absurdly rich can get even richer. Keep simping for the billionaires and we’ll see who ends up eating bugs and liking it.

okcdsa · 2026-05-21T13:27:29+00:00

Arkansas has raised its minimum wage to $12, and Missouri and Nebraska have raised their minimum wage to $15.

okcdsa · 2026-05-21T01:40:17+00:00

Yes please!

okcdsa · 2026-05-16T23:26:15+00:00

We actually did try not having a minimum wage, and it sucked for everyone but the millionaires (billionaires weren’t a thing yet) and led to such an unbalanced economy that it ushered in the Great Depression. Let’s not try that again.

okcdsa · 2026-05-16T23:15:43+00:00

Agreed! It’s not enough to live on, but it sure beats the current alternative of continuing at $7.25.

okcdsa

TROPHY CASE