Togiola orders DOC to submit copy of cannery impact assessment study to USDOL
During his weekend radio program, Governor Togiola Tulafono announced that he has directed the Department of Commerce to submit a copy of the completed impact assessment study conducted on the two canneries to the US Department of Labor.
A study conducted on the impact and effects of either of the two canneries departing the territory or reducing their operations was carried out by McPhee and Associates through funding from a Department of Interior grant.
The Governor said it is crucial that the DOC submit to the USDOL a copy of the report as soon as possible, although he did not disclose any of the study’s findings.
A major focus of the study is the impact of the federal minimum wage law which went into effect in May and provides annual 50-cent hikes until local salaries reach the federal level of $7.15 an hour.
The US Department of Labor, under the federal minimum wage law, is to study the impact of the wage hike to determine whether the territory’s economy can afford the pay increases.
Togiola explained that the US Labor Department has not sent any officials to American Samoa to talk to businesses and conduct a survey, adding that the entire study was conducted off island and the Labor Department only asked for information to be sent to them from the territory.
Governor Togiola says it is a must that the study’s final results are included in the Department of Labor’s report to Congress, who will decide whether the wage hikes will continue.
|
