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<< Labor Triumphant | Main | Conservatives Quake At Clinton Speech >> July 28, 2004NY Min Wage to go to $7.15/hrThe GOP-controlled Senate in New York state, following a massive grassroots campaign, has agreed with the Dem-led state assembly to raise the state minimum wage to $7.15 over the next few years. The campaign was led by the Working Families Party-- a third party usually allied with the Democrats-- which targetted vulnerable Republican state Senators to force a vote on the popular issues. As this article by veteran journalist Jack Newfield argues, the victory heralds a new political order in New York state where the rightwing Conservative Party has been marginalized, the oldline patronage-based "Liberal" Party has been destroyed, and the Working Families Party has emerged as the new force in the state: The issue-oriented Minimum Wage Campaign that has energized the WFP, and unions like CWA and 1199 has brought to the surface this important fracture among conservatives.For wayward Naderites and Greens, the Working Families Party shows the way to create independent politics that achieves power, without building power for and throwing elections to the rightwing. And the result is a massive boost in income for the working poor. Posted by Nathan at July 28, 2004 08:49 AM Related posts:
Trackback PingsTrackBack URL for this entry: CommentsThat's not totally fair to the Greens, since WFP's success is founded on NY ballot fusion laws, which allow WFP to nominate candidates nominated by other parties. This option is only available in a handful of states. If the Supreme Court had invalidated state laws forbidding fusion back in 1997, then the New Party, which based its entire strategy on winning fusion access and cross-nominating left-wing dems, would probably be absorbing a lot of the left-wing energy that's gone to the Greens in the last few elections Posted by: Nick at July 28, 2004 10:16 AM The Greens wanted to run a candidate against Paul Wellstone in Minnesota. They run candidates in New York against progressive Democrats, despite the existence of fusion. Many are supporting Nader nationally. There is little chance that most current Greens would be willing to do the pragmatic deals and coalition work that Working Families Party has engaged in to achieve their success on the minimum wage campaign. Posted by: Nathan Newman at July 28, 2004 10:43 AM The WFP strategy is fine for single-issues but for fundemental changes to the political and economic system you need a movement and a party. Movements and parties don't spring from the ground fully formed. The WFP strategy is what will lead to being a major movement and party in the future. Posted by: David at July 28, 2004 02:29 PM Actually David E., we endorse a couple dozen non-Dems each year. And, the other David is right -- the point of the WFP strategy is to bridge the gap between being a 3% protest party and a 51% governing party. I don't see a better way of doing it. Any ideas? Josh/WFP Posted by: jw mason at July 28, 2004 05:12 PM Forgot to mention, in the last year we've run our own candidates against Dems in a dozen-odd races, and won in two -- NYC City Council and Albany County Legislature. Posted by: jw mason at July 28, 2004 05:14 PM I'm sorry Posted by: nucleus at August 27, 2004 01:08 PM Post a comment
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