SEARCH
Edwards Says Push for Higher Minimum Wage Must Start Now |
 |
|
| John Edwards | |
Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) says it shouldn’t take another 10 years to raise the federal minimum wage to help lift working families out of poverty. He says we should start now.
The presidential candidate calls for gradually increasing the federal wage floor to $9.50 an hour by 2012, with the added protection of automatic cost-of-living increases to prevent its value from eroding via inflation.
After a decade-long battle to raise the minimum wage, the new Democratic-controlled Congress overcame Republican stalling tactics and other roadblocks this spring to pass a wage hike. Starting July 24, the decade-old $5.15 an hour minimum wage begins a three-step climb to $7.25 an hour by 2009—with a first increase to $5.85 an hour.
Says Edwards:
Raising the minimum wage is one of the most important steps we can take to lift working families out of poverty and into the middle class. No one who works full-time should have to live in poverty. If a job takes you away from your family every single day—or for many low-wage workers all through the night—it had better pay you enough to support them. As president, I will raise the minimum wage and put our economy back on the side of working families.
Edwards made the wage proposal at appearances today before the National Education Association’s (NEA) annual meeting and ACORN’s presidential forum. While the pending minimum wage increases will help workers, he said, even at $7.25 an hour, the wage will be below half the average wage—the historic benchmark for the federal minimum wage—by $1 an hour
Click here to read what all the presidential candidates say about jobs and wages at the AFL-CIO’s Working Families Vote 2008 website.
9 Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
I think this is great. Edwards is fighting for all of us.
I have admired Senator Edward’s work in individual states to raise minimum wage at the state levels. I think his plan to raise federal minimum wage is important. American families need this. We should give everybody who works a chance to have a decent life. I support Edwards. We need to put this man in the white house.
I am grateful to Sen. Edwards for paying attention to low wage earners who are usually overlooked by our representatives. I was ambivalent about the recent increase in the minimum wage because the current minimum amounted to no minimum at all but the increase is barely enough to make a difference. I was worried it would be another ten years before the minimum was increased again.
The expectation of regular maintenance on the minimum by looking at the change in cost of living increases will prevent the minimum from becoming useless again.
I’m looking forward to having Edwards officially leading this country. Thanks to AFL-CIO for helping get the word out on his fight to keep the minimum wage realistic.
A living wage + universal access to health care. $9.50/hr isn’t a living wage today let alone in 2012 and without medical coverage… Benchmark a ‘living wage’, then adjust annually for inflation.
I aplaud John Edwards for his efforts but it’s not enough for the people making $5.15/hr with no health benefits. We need to do more!!!
Edwards is the candidate that clearly understands the interests of workers (from personal experience). He visited EPI last Friday and spent two hours discussing policy.
Let’s get real. Anything less than $10.00 an hour is an “almost existing pay.” Some of these politicians should try to live on anything less.
Let people like Mr. Edwards live on $5.15 or even $7.50 an hour. The Minimum Wage has long out lived its value.
Today with more and more workers heading for Minimum Wage lets get real it is a living wage should be the new goal and it is long over do.
US full time workers still need food stamps, still need health care, still need help with rent. There are working full times jobs and rents are from half to 3/4 on income.
It is never an issue if top management takes several million in compensation but the working person ask for $10 a Week and it will but them out of business. Members of Congress have received over $35,000 in increasers since the last increase that was given to people on Minimum Wage.
The real response should be strong union fall all workers…..
It is great that John Edwards has become the first national figure to publicly support a minimum wage of more than $9 an hour. Hopefully, his record on this issue will be emulated by other Democratic Presidential candidates, senators, Congressmen, and leaders of labor, non-profits, grassroots, and netroots organizations.
As one of the leaders of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus and of the National Labor Caucus of State Legislators, I am increasingly optimistic that we are moving towards a minimum wage which can lift recipients out of poverty if they have two dependents. The Edwards proposal would do that if inflation does not get too high.
After initiating and leading the Pennsylvania legislative effort to raise the minimum wage to $7.15 in 2007, I introduced in 2006 and 2007 legislation to raise the Pennsylvania minimum wage to $8.15 in 2008, $8.75 in 2009, and $9.35 in 2010, with annual cost of living adjustments thereafter. Assuming 3% annual inflation in 2010 and 2011, my proposal would raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $9.63 in 2011 and $9.92 in 2012.
Raising the minimum wage attracts and keeps more people in the workforce. It makes clear that labor and government are on the side of the low wage worker. It increases the stability of many neighborhood businesses, and strenghtens the future of the Social Security Trust Fund. It does all these good things while generating tax revenues for needed public services.
I look forward to continuing to work with the AFL-CIO and its affiliates on this vital issue.
As I have constantly and non-stop tried to tell anyone who will listen, Senator Edwards is the Presidential candidate who will best represent our workers (union and non-union). This is not political rhetoric on his part. He sincerely does care about minimum wage and/or living wage. He understands the plight of our poorest citizens. All of us should encourage the AFL-CIO Executive Council to endorse Senator Edwards ASAP. Contact your General President in Washington who sits on the Executive Council, let them know that an endorsement for John Edwards should be forthcoming! It is time for organized labor in this country to stand up for the candidate who stands up for our working families.