Wage Board

I know I'm not the first to point this out, but if the purpose of your organizing effort is to raise the minimum wage to $15, what is the point of creating an unelected intermediary "board" to make your case in front of?

The push for better citywide wages had plenty of support Wednesday from local fast-food workers, restaurant servers and others in the low-wage hospitality industry.

They addressed a so-called “people’s board” about the struggles of making ends meet in a city with a rising cost of living.

The push, part of a nationwide movement put together by community organizers, drew a crowd of several dozen people — young and old, black and white — to the Ashé Cultural Arts Center in Central City.

The initiative was inspired after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo convened an unelected Wage Board this year that went on to recommend phasing in a $15 minimum wage for the state’s fast-food workers.

The local board included state Rep. Joseph Bouie Jr., D-New Orleans, and former City Councilman Oliver Thomas, who left the council in 2007 after pleading guilty to bribery charges.

Both men listened, occasionally asking questions or jotting down notes. Colorful banners hung on the wall behind them, summing up the group’s overall demands: “Show me $15 and a union.”

What happens if Bouie and Thomas conclude that they don't really need "$15 and a union?" What if they recommend a more "reasonable" goal like, say, $12 and no union?  How will that have helped?