Council supports re-evaluation of minimum wage initiative

Dear Editor,

Re: Vauxhall council tells families living on minimum wage to find better jobs

As I read this article, I was disappointed in its tone, relative to the tone of the actual discussion which occurred during the July 20th council meeting, especially regarding some of the quotes attributed to me. Most councillors, including myself, share a concern over the probable inflationary effect of a large increase in the minimum wage, and the potential harm it could do to many businesses, which ultimately includes their employees. An increase in the minimum wage may be justified, but the large increase which is proposed may be excessive, and we therefore support calls from others to re-evaluate the proposed increase.

I entered the workforce in 1978 as a teenage part-time fast food worker, and I still respect and appreciate the efforts of all such workers. Beginning in such a job provided great motivation to improve my skills and education to qualify for a good career. A low wage, which was definitely insufficient to support a family, was appropriate for such a job then, and I believe that similar work still does not merit a wage which would support a family.

I would like to clarify one of my comments which was quoted but misconstrued in the article. My “mocking voice of a teenage fast food worker” was an attempt to imitate the teenage fast food worker on The Simpsons television program, in order to inject a little humour into our meeting. A little humour can make council meetings more pleasant, but once again, my reference to The Simpsons has resulted in me being quoted in such a way that people may be offended. I assure everyone that no disrespect or offence was intended, and that I appreciate the contribution of teenagers to our society. I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my comments as quoted in The Vauxhall Advance.

Sincerely,
Richard Phillips
Deputy Mayor, Town of Vauxhall

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