Labor Cool To Minnick Even With Wage Push

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Walt Minnick is underwriting a plan to put a minimum-wage-raising initiative before voters this fall.

That drive has revived an initiative the Idaho AFL-CIO launched in 1995. But Idaho labor may ignore Minnick’s race against U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, anyway.

If that happens, it would mark one of the few times labor unions have not backed a Democrat in a statewide race in Idaho, potentially depriving him of resources and votes.

Last week, Idaho 2000 - the coordinated Democratic campaign that has relied upon Minnick campaign contributors for the bulk of its budget - injected about $50,000 to collect signatures for the initiative.

About 45 people are in the field, collecting 50 cents for every signature they gather.

The measure would raise Idaho’s $4.25-per-hour minimum wage in four steps to $6.25 by the year 2000. To get on the Nov. 5 election ballot, the initiative needs 41,335 signatures by July 5.

“This isn’t about politics,” said Minnick campaign spokesman Bill Broadhead. “It’s a gut-level issue for Walt Minnick. He is outraged that people can make more on welfare than they can working 40 hours a week. He thinks that’s wrong, and he’s trying to do something about it.”

The Idaho AFL-CIO and its 35,000 active members had mustered a little more than 12,000 signatures and had all but abandoned the effort.

But both the Minnick campaign and the Idaho AFL-CIO agree the Democrat’s chances of picking up the endorsement at next week’s Idaho labor convention at McCall are no better than 50-50.

The Committee on Political Education, the Idaho AFL-CIO’s executive board, already has endorsed Democrat Dan Williams, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth, R-Idaho.

It has not yet issued an endorsement in the 2nd Congressional District, where Democrat John Seidl is opposing U.S. Rep. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.

Minnick supported Idaho’s 1986 Right to Work law, and that is anathema to many union members.