When Sen. Bernie Sanders unveiled legislation Wednesday to increase the minimum wage, he said: “We have got to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and we are introducing legislation today to do just that.”
The Vermont independent, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, followed up his statement with an email to campaign supporters. In it, he quoted Elizabeth from Ohio as saying, “I could afford to go back to work if minimum wage was $15. It costs my family less for me to stay home than to pay childcare and transportation costs to work for $9.50/hr.”
Those listening to Sanders and reading his email might readily have concluded that Sanders wants American workers to be getting at least $15 an hour now.
Not so. In fact, Sanders himself is paying some of his campaign workers less than $15 an hour. Full- and part-time interns on his campaign are making $10.10 an hour, Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said. Some other staff members also appear to be making less than $15 an hour.
The champion of workers’ rights might be paying better than your average creemee stand, but his campaign staff’s starting pay is not a whole lot more than the $10 an hour Walmart pledged to pay its workers starting next year.
Briggs defended Sanders’ campaign pay as in line with an executive order President Barack Obama signed last year as the minimum wage for contracted federal workers. Sanders’ proposed legislation, Briggs said, does not call for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour until 2020.
Though Elizabeth from Ohio and others Sanders quoted in the email to supporters offered no indication that they’d be happy to wait five years for the $15 an hour, that’s what Sanders has proposed. The bill he introduced calls for raising the federal wage from its current $7.25 an hour to $9 in 2016; $10.50 in 2017; $12 in 2018; and $13.50 in 2019 — before hitting $15 in 2020.
In Vermont, where Sanders’ campaign is based, the minimum wage this year is $9.15 an hour. That’s slated to rise to $9.60 in January, $10 in 2017 and $10.50 in 2018.
Looking at Sanders’ July campaign finance report, it’s not easy to discern just how much Sanders pays his employees. The report lists expenditures, including payroll, but Briggs said the salary figures are post-taxes. That makes it difficult to figure out hourly pay.
Sanders lists 33 campaign staff members on his campaign finance report, ranging from top dogs to part-time interns. The July report shows eight staffers receiving $683 twice a month. Briggs said those are $10.10-an-hour interns who regularly come to the office. The campaign also has volunteers, he said.
Interns on Sanders’ Senate office staff are paid $12 an hour, Briggs said. That’s more than some interns make in Congress. A 2013 report in the Atlantic magazine found that only 35 of the 100 senators paid their interns at all.
Beyond the interns on Sanders’ campaign staff, there’s a wide range of pay. Most workers won’t get rich off the job. Campaign manager Jeff Weaver makes the most, earning $4,934 twice monthly.
Briggs, who is Sanders’ Senate spokesman and his campaign spokesman, draws half a salary from both roles, and gets his health coverage through his Senate job. Next month, he said, he will shift to one day a week on the Senate staff.
For campaign workers, Sanders appears to be more generous with health coverage than the average U.S. employer. His July campaign-finance report lists expenditures to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Vermont to cover employee health insurance. All full-time campaign employees are eligible for coverage on the first of the month following their hire date, Briggs said.
The campaign covers 90 percent of the premium for those making less than $35,500 a year and 80 percent for those making more, Briggs said. According to the Insurance Journal, U.S. employers are contributing an average of 66.4 percent of health premiums this year.
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Christopher, here are some of the quotes from the e-mail that “Team Bernie” sent out !
“I could afford to go back to work if minimum wage was $15. It costs my family less for me to stay home than to pay childcare and transportation costs to work for $9.50/hr.” – Elizabeth in Ohio
“As a single mother of two, a $15 minimum wage would mean being able to sleep at night instead of spending countless sleepless hours worrying about how I’m going to keep a roof over my children’s’ heads and food on the table…and maybe even be able to keep more than $5 in my savings account.” – Nichole in California
“I could pay my bills, get health insurance, save for a car, and groceries…I can barely afford bills at the moment and once the bills are paid, no money is left over for anything else.” – Hilary in Florida
“A $15 minimum wage would mean that my daughter and I could finally stop living paycheck to paycheck.” – Jamie in California
“I could stop living paycheck to paycheck!” – Sally in South Carolina
“I currently work two jobs and go to college full time and I can’t afford my own home. If the minimum wage were to be raised to $15 an hour, I would not have to work nights and days just to make ends meet. .” – Eric in Oklahoma
I hope that it is clear how dire it is for millions of people working full time yet living in poverty. We have a moral obligation to help them.
In solidarity,
Bernie
I was sent one of Sanders’ e-mails relating to the proposed $15 federal minimum wage and IT DID sound as if the Senator wanted an immediate increase – especially the quotes from the unemployed individuals portrayed in the “letter.” Hallenbeck’s coverage is fair and unbiased – sadly those with too much invested in the candidates often lose their perspective.
Haha, funny BROOKE PAIGE. This article is either just “troll”ing us, or, pretending to be against Sanders, when in fact, it is actually just a backwards way to show support for him, by claiming a false negative which is easily and obviously disputed.
🙂
What a terrible article. First off Bernie wants $15 by 2020, not now, as proposed in the bill. Secondly, 12 is higher than the minimum wage. Third, most interns aren’t even paid in the Senate!!
I’m sure by 2020, Bernie would also pay his interns $15 as he currently suggests… OVERTIME!
Guess it’s time to stop reading 7 days. I used to like this alternative paper… Not anymore.
Also, I don’t support Bernie. This article is just sad… Sad that you just jump on the bandwagon of controversy you found on the internet, or most likely Facebook.
Hypocrisy thy name is SANDERS !
Sanders also has lots of volunteers, like all campaigns who “work” without pay or benefits.
Interesting how you lead with such a negative spin and wait until the end of the article to point out what an upstanding organization he is leading. Why are you trying to make him look bad? Besides, is that really all you got on Bernie?!?! Keep trying….he’s the real deal.
At least HE actually PAYS his staff, unlike some Democratic frontrunners I could mention.
Clinton employs 150 interns, all of whom get $0.00 per hour.
Bernie employs approx 15 interns, all getting paid $12.00 an hour, getting medical cover, getting college credits.
Interns don’t usually GET paid. Hilary Clinton doesn’t pay hers. The fact that he is paying them is enough.
I imagine lots of people would take pay cuts to work on campaigns they believe in so that more money stays in the pot to win the campaign, especially in a grassroots campaign like this where every dime counts. Bernie also has lots of volunteers, meaning people who are willing to dedicate their time without any pay. I’d be more leery of candidates who pay people to come to their rallies.