Congress kills minimum wage hike
WASHINGTON (PAI) - By a 49-46 vote, the Republican-led Senate on March 7 voted not to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour over the next two years. It also rejected a GOP plan for a $1.10 hourly hike, plus imposition of comp time for overtime.

The wage has been $5.15 per hour since 1997.

"It is interesting that Congress has not hesitated to vote itself a pay increase during this period of time, but not for the minimum wage earners," said Sen. Edward Kennedy. "The height of hypocrisy will be when senators say no to $7.25 an hour for hard-working Americans after they have accepted a $28,500 pay increase for themselves over the last eight years."

Top university jobs for two tradesmen
Two building trade union officers have been named board members of two Michigan universities.

Jack LaSalle was appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees. LaSalle, a 1971 graduate of NMU in Marquette, is a business representative with the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council.

LaSalle, said NMU President Les Wong, "will put the student experience before all else, and that, of course, is what Northern Michigan University is all about."

LaSalle also serves as chairman of the labor advisory and planning committee for the NMU labor education program and office of continuing education; chair of the Marquette County Democratic Party; and recording secretary for the Marquette County Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

I'm just happy to be part of the team that now sets policy for that great university," LaSalle said. "This appointment was a welcome surprise and I'm growing into the challenge of it."

Larry Tolbert, union organizer with Heat and Frost Insulators Local 47, was also tapped by Granholm for a board of trustees position - at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

A 1975 WMU graduate, Tolbert said to the student newspaper, "I'm very familiar with the community and WMU and I think I'm pretty much in tune with the politics in the area and I think it will probably serve me really well."

The appointment for both trustees expires Dec. 31, 2012.

Kelly Keenan, legal counsel to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said the appointment of two union officers to major university boards shows "we're putting people into place who can make a difference."