by Robert Reich
Republicans in Congress who oppose raising the nation’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 say it will kill jobs, but according to a new study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research the thirteen states that raised their minimum wage in January – ten for the first time, the other three in line with previous laws raising it in steps – have seen higher employment growth than states that didn’t. Washington state has the highest minimum wage and had the biggest increase in small business jobs; its job growth has remained above average since it first raised its wage above the federal minimum. Also topping the job-growth list are Massachusetts, which raised its wage to $11 by 2017; Vermont, which increased its wage to $10.50; and Hawaii, Maryland, and Connecticut, which enacted the $10.10 minimum proposed at the federal level by Democrats. Cities that have raised their wages are showing better than average job growth, too. None of this means raising the minimum creates more jobs, but it does undermine naysayers who say it kills jobs. Yet congressional Republicans in remain adamant. Could it be they’re not really concerned about job losses, and more concerned about something else? And if so, what?
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