1 of 3 | Vice President Joe Biden addresses workers at Bobrick Washroom Equipment in the North Hollywood section of Los Angeles on July 22. He hailed local leaders for moving ahead with increases in the minimum wage and saying earning a living wage isn't just about finances, but about dignity. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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HOLLYWOOD, July 23 (UPI) -- Vice President Joe Biden visited a bathroom supply company Wednesday to promote the importance of middle class jobs and raising the minimum wage.
As Biden contemplates a bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, he toured the nearly 60-year-old Bobrick Washroom Equipment company and lauded Los Angeles city and county leaders' commitment to boosting the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020. The White House is eyeing a more modest change to the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour to $12 an hour.
"Now for somebody in that circumstance, that's life-changing. It means you can maybe take your kid to a movie once a month and you couldn't do it before. It means you can maybe fill the tank of your car one more time," Biden said. "For people who have never worked for the minimum wage, who have never had to live on the minimum wage, it's hard to understand how profound that change is."
Biden said increased wages are about both the bank account and dignity. As he toured the company, he found many had been working there for over 20 years.
"They're excited about working here," Biden said. "Most of all because they're treated with respect."
In response to Biden's visit, Ninio Fetalvo, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, criticized Biden for his trip.
"As Vice President Biden swings through the Golden State on the taxpayer dime, people are wondering if he will challenge Hillary Clinton in the Democrat primary," Fetalvo said. "But what is clear is that the American people are tired of the same failed Democrat policies that continue to leave the middle class behind."
Earlier in the day, Los Angeles police arrested Larry Ira Estrin, 62, at a vehicle checkpoint outside the Bobrick plant when a police dog detected a firearm. Estrin was charged with misdemeanor possession of a loaded firearm. Police said Estrin, of Los Angeles, may have forgotten he had the weapon in the car.
