(JACOBIN) David Sirota Andrew Perez Joel Warner, April 17, 2021
Weeks after voting to kill a $15 minimum wage, senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin will headline the national conference of the restaurant lobbying group that led the battle to block the wage increase and that is fighting a separate Democratic measure to make it easier for workers to form unions. Both lawmakers have also recently raked in campaign cash from corporate interests that have been fighting a minimum wage increase.
Sinema and Manchin will join disgraced former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel next week in speeches at a conference held by the National Restaurant Association (NRA), according to the conference agenda. The NRA has been aggressively lobbying against Democrats’ proposed minimum wage hike and labor legislation.
Manchin and Sinema, who represent West Virginia and Arizona, respectively, will be featured on panels entitled “Seeking Unity: Conversations on Finding Bipartisan Solutions.” The event is the NRA’s annual “public affairs conference,” which, in Washington-speak, means it is for lobbyists and focused on shaping legislation.
The conference event registration page says it “is an off the record event closed to press.” The schedule says it will also feature former George W. Bush spokesperson and Fox News personality Dana Perino.
Source: https://jacobinmag.com/2021/04/kyrsten-sinema-joe-manchin-minimum-wage-15