![Gov Edwards Pushes Equal Pay, Higher Minimum Wage](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2017/01/John-Bel-Edwards-Louisiana-Legislature-Twitter.png?w=300&h=200&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89&w=980&q=75)
Gov Edwards Pushes Equal Pay, Higher Minimum Wage
Governor John Bel Edwards is once again asking lawmakers to increase the state’s minimum wage and guarantee equal pay for equal work. Both measures failed in last year’s session. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says raising the minimum wage is never easy.
“The fact that he’s trying to raise it only a little bit to $8.50, as opposed to $10 or more, may make it easier somewhat, but I still think he faces an uphill battle,” Dubos said.
Edwards says he supports a Senate bill that raises the minimum wage to $8.50 over a two year period. The Louisiana Workforce Commission says the minimum wage has not been increased since 2009. Fellow political analyst Bernie Pinsonat he doesn’t foresee these bills getting any more traction this year than they have in the past.
“These bills are doomed to fail because they can’t get them out of the committees in the House, which are basically controlled by Republicans, and Republicans don’t want to pass these bills and don’t like them,” Pinsonat said.
The governor says Louisiana has the highest gender wage gap in the country, but Pinsonat says the equal pay bill has even less of a chance than raising the minimum wage. He says business groups have historically opposed these measures because provisions in the bills allow people to sue their employers over pay inequity.
“That gets into the business arena of lawsuits, and a lot of the business community is really opposed to that cause it’s not so much about equal pay as it is about the additional lawsuits it would cause,” Pinsonat said.
More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL
![Truck Crashes Through Louisiana Convenience Store, Injuries Unknown](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-451428443_875361657961063_9009058308210370374_n.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Lafayette Police Seek Public’s Help in Identifying iPad Theft Suspect](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-Untitled-design-2024-07-15T194605.280.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Alleged Donald Trump Shooter Spotted Nearly 30 Minutes Before Shots Fired](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-GettyImages-2161431349.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![WATCH: Would This Viral ‘Texas Gumbo’ Pass a South Louisiana Inspection?](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2023/12/attachment-Texas-Gumbo-Pepper-Belly-Pete.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Donald Trump Has Made His Vice Presidential Pick](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-GettyImages-2159730000.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![CHECK IT OUT: You Can Rent This Awesome Tower in New Iberia, Louisiana](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-new-iberia-airbnb-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Man Wins $100,000 With Lottery Strategy From Watching ‘Lottery Changed My Life’](http://townsquare.media/site/33/files/2022/04/attachment-giorgio-trovato-BRl69uNXr7g-unsplash.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Louisiana to be Prominently Featured at Republican National Convention](http://townsquare.media/site/36/files/2024/07/attachment-RNC-LOGO.jpg?w=980&q=75)