Democratic Leaders Press Republicans to Pass Min. Wage Increase

[UpInArms]

http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=7295

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, and Democratic Policy Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) issued the following statement today in response to recent comments by U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow and U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez that the Bush administration may be open to an increase in the federal minimum wage:

“Two Bush Cabinet officials have indicated that the administration would finally be open to an increase in the national minimum wage, stuck at $5.15 per hour for the past 7 years. This is unexpected, but welcome, news from an administration that has repeatedly rewarded the wealthy special interests at the expense of hard-working Americans. Democrats have legislation to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25, but House and Senate Republicans have blocked action on the measures. The refusal of Congressional Republicans to even allow a debate or vote on raising the minimum wage reflects a fundamental lack of respect for American workers who are playing by the rules and trying to make ends meet.

“At $5.15 per hour, an American working full-time, all year, earns less than $11,000, which is not enough to meet even the most basic needs. This is immoral. It stands in stark contrast to the average $9.9 million in compensation earned by top executives at the nation’s largest companies. A CEO paid $9.9 million per year makes in just over two hours what a minimum wage worker earns in a whole year.

“The Democratic legislation would also extend the minimum wage to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana islands, a U.S. territory where workers toil in sweatshop conditions to produce goods bearing the ‘Made in the USA’ label. The garment industry in the Marianas hired Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff to help preserve this outrageous and immoral system. And just as Abramoff wanted, the House Republican leadership buried the reform legislation.

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[Tempest]

1. Ouch!

That's gonna hurt the Repugs.

[gibbyman]

2. Amen brother

Well Said

[FunkyLeprechaun]

3. Great!

It's about time.

[rateyes]

4. Yeah, it's time to use Dubya's unpopularity

against him, get these things done, and show people around election time how much more Dems care for working people than do Republicans. Stick it to them hard!! If they block it, we've got another winning issue come November.

[UrbScotty]

6. Agreed (nt)

[BrklynLiberal]

5. How will the Repukes twist it to take credit for this?

[killbotfactory]

7. Yeah, republicans will let that happen...

Time to turn up the ol' "If you get paid more you'll lose your job!" rhetoric

[DarkTirade]

8. I remember when I first got my raise up to 7.25 an hour...

it was when I got promoted to manager at my last job.

[NJmaverick]

9. These are the Dems big issues

They need to make them big issues for elections 2006!

[trogdor]

15. That's the point.

They know very well that this won't pass. It needs to, but it won't. Propose it, let the GOP'ers shoot it down, and use it in November. Works for me.

[NJmaverick]

17. The question is how to make it a hot issue

It would be nice if the media gave this issue some major air play. 7 years with out raise is a pretty long time.

[Ezlivin]

10. Raising the minimum wage will give aid and comfort to illegal immigrants

Unless we want them to pour over our border, we need to slash the minimum wage until it's less than Mexico's.

That's the only way to truly stem the tide.

:eyes:

[DarkTirade]

11. And create jobs too...

because companies will stop outsourcing to Mexico if it's just as cheap to hire workers here.

[Critters2]

13. It is just as cheap to hire them here

It's just not legal. As if that meant anything.

[rocktivity]

12. They can use this to help solve the Repub's immigration "crisis"

If President Potty-Stop really wants a "guest worker" program, make him raise the minumum wage AND make him make it illegal to pay ANYONE less--even the guest workers!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Critters2]

14. Exactly

Two birds, one stone.

[Zhade]

16. How about, I don't know, TYING WAGES TO INFLATION, guys?

Yeah, yeah, I know - the Republicans will never go for it. But then, they won't go for even this.

And there is that little problem of corporate-funded Dems also being against such a progressive idea.