Senate Downs Minimum Wage Increase
Friday August 4, 2006
The U.S. Senate late Thursday rejected 56-42 a bill that would have increased the federal minimum wage from the current $5.15-per-hour to $7.15 by mid-2009. The Republican-backed bill, which would have also have cut the federal estate tax, needed 60 votes move forward. The House passed the bill last Saturday.
The federal minimum wage has remained at $5.15 since 1997. However, 18 states and the District of Columbia currently have laws establishing minimum wage rates higher than the federal minimum wage.
Working a 40 hour work week, 52 weeks a year at the present federal minimum wage level earns a worker $10,700, which is below the poverty line for a family of three.
Several previous attempts to increase the minimum wage have failed in Congress over the years.
Also See:
Who Makes Minimum Wage?
Minimum Wage Over the Years
Most US Businesses Have No Paid Employees
Comments
This is unbelieveable! I am feeling so bad for the people in the other 32 states that have to live on this horrible minimum wage of $5.15 per hour. With the cost of living what it is today, they are not living, they are merely existing. I am fortunate enough to be living in one of those 18 states that has a higher minimum wage than the federal minimum wage. Even with our higher wage of $7.25 per hour, it is still hard to provide for yourself let alone a family. This is a disgrace. Even in DC it is higher, yet the politicans in DC still vote down the higher minimum wage for all the other states. Maybe they should try living on this low wage and see if they could get along. I was very surprised to see that this $5.15 wage has been in effect since 1997, it’s almost 10 years later and the cost of everything has gone up tremendously, but these people are still having to try to live on such a small wage. I think if I lived in one of those 32 states with this small minimum wage, I would think about leaving and moving to one of the 18 states that has a higher wage.
WASHINGTON POLITICIANS NEED TO WAKE UP AND REALIZE WHAT A HUGE DISSERVICE THEY ARE DOING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPOUT OFF ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
JUST A NOTE: MY HUSBAND IS MADDER THAN HE__ ABOUT THIS AND HE SAYS “YOU CAN THANK (OR BLAME) THE DEMOCRATS!”
It’s a shame that the senate did not pass this–We all know that they won’t fail to give themselves a raise(which is wrong)-maybe they should try to live on min wage.I worked min wage jobs for a long time, and now I can’t imagine how anybody on min wage can pay for the gas just to get to work,and the high food prices.Something is wrong,this needs to be fixed.