President Gets a 100 Percent Wage Increase. Minimum Wage Workers: Zero

[Omaha Steve]

Full story: http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/07/13/president-gets-a-100-percent-wage-increase-minimum-wage-workers-zero/

President Gets a 100 Percent Wage Increase. Minimum Wage Workers: Zero

Since 1997 when the minimum wage was last increased by Congress—it’s still $5.15 an hour nine years later—congressional pay has increased by 24 percent, CEO pay has jumped by 73 percent and the salary of the President of the United States has jumped 100 percent.

A new report by the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s Democratic staff details those pay raises and how staggeringly far behind minimum wage workers have fallen since 1997, making it near impossible for minimum wage workers to afford just the basics of life.

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is fighting to pass legislation (S. 1062) to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour said:

This new report shows who the Bush economy has been working for—those at the top of the economic ladder….Americans are working harder than ever, and our nation’s productivity is rising, but millions of hard working men and women across the country are not getting their fair share. We are not rewarding work fairly anymore and working families are falling behind.

The report, released yesterday, points out how Congress has voted eight times to raise its own pay—with a ninth pay raise due this January—since 1997. The Republican-controlled Senate has voted down minimum wage increases eight times and House Republican leaders have continually blocked minimum wage over the years. (There was symbolic victory in the House yesterday, more on that below). As Kennedy says:

Now we’re poised to give ourselves another $3,300. It’s appalling that Congress would raise its own pay yet again. Yet continue to ignore the most vulnerable worker in our society. Democrats don’t intend to let that happen again this year.

The report, Their Fair Share: Creating a Just Economy for Minimum Wage Families, also notes that Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) has called congressional pay raises vital, so lawmakers will not “fall behind in purchasing power.” Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) has said raising congressional pay “is the decent thing to do” to allow lawmakers to “provide for their families.” (Oh, the struggle to get by on $165,200 a year. That $3,300 raise next year will help lawmakers squeak by, but just barely.)

The full report is available here and here are a few quick facts from the report

[WI_DEM]

1. pitiful that a president on vacation 2/3 of the time gets a 100%

pay hike while the hard working "working poor" get zilch.

[Deja Q]

2. Take their jobs and offshore them.

I've nothing else to say about these leeches. The hypocrisy is disgusting.

It speaks volumes of America; how our elected officials act, in the name of all of America's families...

[NMMNG]

3. Shameful

Just one more example of how Republicans do not have the interests of America at heart, but rather themselves and the uber-rich.

[bdamomma]

4. 100% pay raise increase

for what, he doesn't do shit.

[NYCGirl]

5. That's a little misleading. The presidential pay raise was passed in 1999.

http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/07/16/presidential.salary/

[rucky]

6. "It's hard work." n/t

[IronLionZion]

7. Bush doesn't deserve 400K a year

hmm....whatever. It takes something like $10-20 million a year for all the other shit the president needs like security and transportation.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

8. K&R! EXCELLENT! bad news but well put forth n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

9. It works out to 10% per year.

But the point is taken. 0% ain't worth shit. In actuality, min. wage workers take a salary cut every day.

JMHO- There is no job worth less than $10 an hour in this day and age. And it ain't a raise unless it's > than the rate of inflation (not opinion. FACT).

[Quantess]

10. Can we fire him for bankrupting the country?

Just for starters...:eyes: