Although House Speaker John Boehner remains staunchly opposed to newly Obama-backed Democratic plans to raise the federal minimum wage, advocates should remain hopeful for both federal and statewide efforts for 5 key reasons.
1)????? Raising the federal minimum wage has bipartisan support?at least among voters. A new Gallup poll released Monday shows majority support for the idea across party lines. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans support raising the federal minimum wage to $9 per hour. Democrats and Independents support a $9 minimum wage by 91 and 76 percent, respectively.
2)????? States with governors who oppose raising the minimum wage aren’t afraid to override their elected official’s veto on the issue. New Jersey, the little blue state that just overwhelmingly re-elected a Republican governor with presidential aspirations, voted to raise its minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25, while pegging it to inflation. This successfully overturned Republican Governor Chris Christie’s veto of minimum wage legislation earlier this year. The measure passed by 61 percent.
3)????? Some states are taking strides significantly upwards of the $8-$10 range. Although the official vote count has not been finalized, Seattle’s SeaTac Proposition seems poised to raise the minimum wage to $15 for hospitality and transportation workers near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. ?Although advocates should carefully calculate the level at which support for a minimum wage begins to wane, a $15 minimum wage success story for Seattle’s economy could alleviate skeptics? fears. Regardless of the size of any increase, economic prosperity in any? of the states that recently passed an increase in the minimum wage could bring success to campaigns like Massachusetts? Raise Up effort that is working to bring earned sick time and an $11 minimum wage to the 2014 ballot. |
4)????? It’s simply time. In many states, including places as progressive as Massachusetts, minimum wage workers have not received a raise since 2008. The federal minimum wage hasn’t been raised since 2009.
5)????? A final blow to conservative claims that a minimum wage would further harm the economy: Studies back up raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10. A recent Economic Policy Institute report reveals that such a policy would impact 30 million workers, raise GDP by $32.6 billion, and create 140K new jobs.
Edited by SS
