[Tallahassee, Fla] The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) has issued the following statement from Carol Dover, CEO/President, regarding John Morgan’s remarks at the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa on Friday:
“Mr. Morgan has made his position on minimum wage clear by leading the charge to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot next November. While I respectfully and vehemently oppose his position on this issue, I am deeply offended by his remarks at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club on Friday. By referring to minimum wage as ‘slave labor,’ Mr. Morgan showed us all just how tone deaf he is and how utterly oblivious he is to a very real problem in our state.
“His comments likening his fight for a $15/hour minimum wage to the fight of abolitionists who worked to end slavery are an affront to every man and woman who was jailed, beaten and branded for trying to protect the lives of their fellow humans.
“Furthermore, Mr. Morgan’s statements highlight his ignorance regarding the modern-day slavery we are actively working to stop, human trafficking. This heinous crime is real, and there are men, women and children in the United States who are literally enslaved because of human trafficking. Drawing comparisons between their plight and those who work for minimum wage is disgusting, cold-hearted and insulting to both groups.
“Minimum wage is an important issue facing our state, and the debate should be robust and vigorous, not convoluted with inaccurate and insensitive comparisons to abhorrent crime.”