Raise the Wage Act
Raise the Wage Act
Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate labor committee, and 30 of her Senate colleagues, including Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), introduced legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced a companion bill with 152 cosponsors in the House.
The Raise the Wage Act would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024 and would be indexed to median wage growth thereafter. This raise would increase the minimum wage higher than its 1968 peak. The federal minimum wage has not been raised since 2009.
The bill will also gradually eliminate the loophole that allows tipped workers and workers with disabilities to be paid substantially less than the federal minimum wage, bringing it to parity with the regular minimum wage. Moreover, it would also phase out the youth minimum wage, which allows employers to pay workers under 20 years old a lower wage for the first 90 calendar days of work.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
“Our country is strongest when workers and families are strongest, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour nationally is a critical part of reaching that goal. Washington state has been a leader in raising the minimum wage because we know the value a living wage adds to our economy and in our communities. I’m especially proud that the Raise the Wage Act would mean millions of women—particularly women of color who are disproportionately impacted by pay discrimination—earn more of what they need to support their families. If President Trump truly cared about the workers he promised to put first on the campaign trail he would join us to make sure workers get a fair wage, and that’s exactly what we are going to push this Administration and Republicans to do.”
“Washington state has a history of fighting for workers’ rights. Our state has the nation’s highest minimum wage at $11.00 and is one of the fastest growing economies in the country. We are proof that you can provide Americans a living wage while creating jobs and growing the economy,” said Senator Cantwell. “It’s time for Congress to put workers before corporations and raise the national minimum wage. Today’s bill does just that.”
Those against
Those against raising the federal minimum wage argue that in a capitalist system the government should not intervene in free-market dynamics. This will affect companies’ ability to hire and pay workers, which could result in a significant loss of jobs and harm to the economy. Raising the minimum wage will hurt small businesses and squeeze their profit margins. It will also lead to inflation, encourage employers to downsize their staff and increase the cost of goods to the consumer.
"When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it," former Speaker John Boehner said. "Why would we make it harder for small employers to hire people? Listen, I've got 11 brothers and sisters on every rung of the economic ladder. I know about this issue as much as anybody in this town. What happens when you take away the first couple of rungs on the economic ladder, you make it harder for people to get on the ladder.
"A lot of people who are being paid the minimum wage are being paid that because they come to the workforce with no skills," he continued. "This makes it harder for them to acquire the skills they need to climb that ladder successfully." Earlier, he told reporters, “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and it’s important for Congress to ensure a minimum wage mandate does not have a harmful effect on small employers’ ability to create jobs for working families." (Press Release)
