Minimum Wage Battle Rages in Congress

by Mike Hall, Jun 20, 2006

The battle over the minimum wage rages on in Congress as Republican leaders engage in parliamentary maneuvers to try and duck a vote on boosting the federal minimum to $7.25 an hour. It has been set a $5.15 an hour since 1997.

As Senate Republicans continue to dance away from a real minimum wage increase, it’s likely they will offer, as they have in the past, a substitute bill with a lower hourly raise and poison-pill provisions. In the past, such provisions would eliminate wage and hour protections for millions of workers, cut overtime pay by replacing the 40-hour workweek with an 80-hour, two-week work period and lower wages for tipped workers.  They may attempt to simply offer a much smaller increase without the poison pills. We’ll let you know.

Click here to tell you lawmakers it’s time to stop the shenanigans and vote on a minimum wage increase.

While Republican leaders look for scenarios to avoid a vote, a new study reveals the minimum wage has hit a 51-year low in buying power. The EPI and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report concludes that congressional inaction means the inflation-adjusted dollar value of the minimum wage has reached its lowest level since 1955.

In the nearly 10 years since the minimum was raised, Congress has voted itself nine pay hikes totaling nearly $35,000 a year, while a full-time minimum wage worker’s annual pay has not budged from $10,712.

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who yesterday a offered the wage hike as an amendment to the Department of Defense appropriations bill, said:

Time and time again, many have called on the Senate to increase the minimum wage. Yet time and time again, our Republican colleagues have refused to give working people the raise they deserve, even though we grant annual increases to senators…. What could be more hypocritical?

In the House, Republican leaders have refused to vote on the fiscal year 2007 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill because it contains a minimum wage amendment sponsored by Democrats.

Today, in an move to force a vote, Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) offered the amendment to raise the wage to $7.25 an hour to the appropriations bill for the Commerce, State and Justice departments. However, it failed on a 34–28 vote of the full Appropriations Committee when five of the seven Republicans who voted for the amendment last week switched votes.

Click here to tell your senators and representatives to stop the games and raise the minimum wage.

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