Letters: Flexibility on the minimum wage

Re “A civil right to organize,” Opinion, Sept. 2

Harold Meyerson notes that California allows cities to set their own minimum wages above the state’s rate. I would support that if city officials were allowed to set rates below the federal minimum if doing so would promote economic growth within their municipalities.

The federal government can broadly influence economic growth through a variety of tactics. States can as well, but for the most part it’s a zero-sum game among the various states. Cities, however, are the true economic engines in capitalist societies.

If San Francisco or Los Angeles can maintain a healthy economy by exceeding the federal minimum, Santa Fe, N.M., and Flagstaff, Ariz., should be allowed to fine-tune their own minimum wages to suit their needs.

David Pohlod

Oak Park

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