What is the face of a minimum wage worker? Republican Senate candidate Ed Gillespie thinks he knows.
“A lot of them are first time workers. The first job they have ever had is a minimum wage job where you learn to get to work on time. It’s where you learn the great feeling at the end of the week of getting that paycheck and knowing that you gave an honest week’s work,” Gillespie said at a recent meeting with voters in Virginia Beach.
“It’s where you learn the social aspects of work. It’s where you play on the work softball team or go out for a beer after work. You know, we want to foster that and incentive work in this country,” Gillespie said.
Democrats are pouncing on Gillespie’s characterization as showing him to be out of touch with economic and social reality.
“Ed Gillespie’s comments are offensive and belittling to Virginians working minimum wage jobs. He opposes a federal minimum wage, but believes people working for $7.25 per hour have time to play softball after work. Even McDonald’s recommends that its workers find a second job to make ends meet. But what else should we expect from an out-of-touch hired gun who has joined his fellow Republicans in denying thousands of working Virginia families a raise and access to routine and affordable health care,” Democratic State Del. Mark Sickles said.
“Clearly, Ed Gillespie’s career rigging the system for special interests like Enron has left a blind spot to the plight of so many hard working Virginians who work multiple minimum wage jobs to get by,” Sickles said.
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