Minimum Wage for the States

Increasing Minimum Wage

Fairness and hard work. These are core American values. And yet for millions of working families who work hard and play by the rules, that is not enough to lift them out of poverty, much less help them achieve the "American Dream."

Minimum wage workers are forced to live in poverty, barely making over $10,000 annually. And while inflation makes the cost of living go up every year, in nearly every state the minimum wage stays constant, which means that families' real earnings go down.

The primary reason to increase the minimum wage is to enable people who work full time to earn their way out of poverty. The federal minimum wage of $5.15 per hour covers most workers in the states. However, the state minimum wage or the lack of one applies to many restaurant employees, childcare workers, teacher aids, janitors, maids, and people whose jobs do not involve interstate commerce. Whether at $4.25 or $5.15 per hour, workers in states across the country are not assured an adequate standard of living.

Instead, minimum wage workers are forced to live in poverty, barely making over $10,000 annually. Despite the strong performance of the nation's economy in recent years, the state's lowest paid workers have fallen behind by virtually every measure.

There is a better road.  It's time to start the journey.

The materials in this package come in large part from the past hard work of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Economic Policy Institute, the  Center for Policy Alternatives and the AFL-CIO.  The Service Centerwould like to thank these groups for mapping out the high road on raising minimum wage in the states.

home | login | my profile | join our network | about us | contact us | forums | site map