Minimum Wage Opponents Can Run—But They Can’t Hide from Voters

[Omaha Steve]

Full story: http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/07/18/minimum-wage-opponents-can-run%e2%80%94but-they-can%e2%80%99t-hide-from-voters/

Minimum Wage Opponents Can Run—But They Can’t Hide from Voters

Members of Congress opposed to raising the long-stagnant $5.15-an-hour minimum wage may be able to run from a vote on boosting the 10-year-old wage—but they can’t hide from working families who are taking them to task.

Tomorrow in Pennsylvania and Thursday in Minnesota and Ohio, union activists and members from Working America—the AFL-CIO’s community affiliate for workers who do not have unions—will rally outside the district offices of three U.S. House members who have opposed raising the minimum wage.

Although all three have voted against increasing the wages of the nation’s lowest-paid workers, they haven’t hesitated to pile on their own pay raises. The latest congressional pay hike—set for January and the ninth raise for Congress since the minimum wage was last increased—will boost their salaries to $165,200 a year.

Republican leaders in the House and Senate continue to block legislation to raise the federal minimum from $5.15 an hour—now at its lowest buying power in 51 years—to $7.25. (Click here to read how far behind minimum wage workers have fallen in the past 10 years.)http://www.aflcio.org/issues/jobseconomy/livingwages/upload/Their_Fair_Share.pdf

[UrbScotty]

1. FYI: the minimum wage does NOT hurt the economy!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_oet&address=358x4153

[bluestateguy]

2. In the end, this may just have to be done state by state, by the voters

Everytime a minimum wage increase goes before the voters, it wins. It's not ideal, and it would be better if Congress took care of this, but states can take the lead where Congress won't. In Florida in 2004, the minimum wage increase passed in all 67 counties, including all of the dark red Bush counties.

[RC]

3. Dark Red bu$h counties or blood red bu$h...?