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In January, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would increase the hourly minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over the next two years. Unfortunately, the Senate was unable to muster the 60 votes needed to stop Republican delay tactics and pass the identical “clean” bill.
After two weeks, the Senate approved a compromise bill that calls for the $2.10 an hour increase, but the measure also gives businesses $8.2 billion in tax cuts. Now a conference committee must hammer out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.
Take action now!
Business people can show their support for the “clean” minimum wage bill by signing the letter. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and others will use this letter during the upcoming debate.
Not a business person? You can still send an immediate message by e-mail or fax to your members of Congress through our Legislative Action Center.
Message/talking points
It’s time for Congress and the president to raise the federal minimum wage, which has not been increased for nearly 10 years.
Both the House and Senate bills will make a modest increase in income for approximately 760,000 single mothers and 1.8 million parents with children under 18.
At least 80 percent of minimum wage workers are adults over 20 years of age.
According to a statement by several hundred economists, modest increases in state and federal minimum wages can “significantly improve the lives of low-income workers and their families, without the adverse effects that critics have claimed.”
Business owners from across the country say an increase would benefit their businesses and their local economies.
Substantial research on the effects of raising the minimum wage offers new evidence that there have been no substantial job losses caused by modest increases in the past 15 years.
Background
The current federal minimum wage of $5.15 and was enacted in September 1997. In that same period of time, Congress has voted its members salary increases totaling $31,000 each per year!
More than 500 business owners, representing every state in the country, agree the federal minimum wage should be increased. Click here to see a list of signatories.
Both houses of the new Congress approved bills to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.15 over two years. The remaining issue is the amendments for tax breaks for small business voted in the Senate version. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have committed to quick action on a smaller tax package to try to find a compromise between the House and Senate bills. It is unclear that this will satisfy Senate Republicans or the White House.
UUSC is a partner in the Change America Now (CAN) campaign to build momentum for progressive change, and to encourage the new Congress to hit the ground running during the “first 100 hours.” We also are working with the Let Justice Roll coalition to change the equation for working families.
For more insight and analysis on this issue, see “Why Raise the Minimum Wage?”; “America’s Workers Deserve a 'Clean' Minimum Wage Increase”; and “Do the Math”.
Posted February 21, 2007