House GOP pressing vote on minimum wage

AP on Yahoo ^ | 7/27/06 | Andrew Taylor - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - House Republican leaders, giving in to political reality, plan a vote to raise the $5.15 minimum wage before leaving Washington this weekend for a five-week recess.

"Whether people like it or not, we need to go ahead with it," said Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del., who supports the idea. "There's a general agreement among Republicans (opposing the raise) that `maybe we don't like it much, but we need to move forward with it just for political reasons.'"

The No. 3 House GOP leader, Majority Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri, said the plan was to have a vote before week's end. But Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Republicans leaders were working to pass the increase but that "no decisions have been made."

It was a decade ago, during the hotly contested campaign year of 1996, that Congress voted to increase the minimum wage. A person working 40 hours per week at minimum wage makes $10,700, which is below the poverty line for workers with families.

Democrats have made increasing the wage a pillar of their campaign platform and are pushing to raise the wage to $7.25 per hour over two years. In June, the Republican-controlled Senate refused to raise the minimum wage, rejecting a proposal from Democrats.

The chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee said the GOP would embrace the increase to $7.25 per hour and probably attach a proposal passed last year that would make it easier for small business to band together and buy health insurance plans for employees at a lower cost. Rep. Howard McKeon (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif., said the minimum wage bill probably will not include tax cuts such as a repeal of the estate tax.

It was not clear what other potential add-ons might soothe unhappy lawmakers and GOP opponents of a wage increase such as the small business lobby.

House Democrats cried foul on Thursday, saying Republicans planned to add "poison pills" for their business allies. Many Democrats oppose the small business health insurance legislation because it would overrule state laws requiring coverage for procedures such as diabetes care and cancer screenings.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California demanded a vote on a bill that would just increase the minimum wage. She spoke out against "the usual Republican poison pills of attaching tax cuts for the wealthy or other so-called sweeteners for the Republican special interests."

Inflation has eroded the minimum wage's buying power to the lowest level in about 50 years. Yet lawmakers have won cost-of-living wage increases totaling about $35,000 over that time. So House GOP leaders are bowing to the inevitable on the increase.

Forty-eight Republicans, many of them moderates or representing districts with large working-class populations, wrote Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., requesting a vote this week on an increase.

"It is time for Congress to take responsible action to raise the minimum wage and ensure our hardworking constituents can provide for their families," said the letter, drafted by Reps. Steven LaTourette, R-Ohio, and Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J.

Conservatives responded with a letter signed by 31 Republicans asking that no vote be held.

"Quickly increased labor costs unrelated to business conditions will encourage or force employers to fire employees, reduce working hours for existing employees, and/or postpone plans to hire additional employees," they wrote.

After a private meeting Thursday morning of House Republicans, many lawmakers said they believed the wage increase would advance when Congress returns in September.

"There seems to be a consensus that we'll do it after the break," said Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill.

But GOP leaders such as Boehner believe that if the vote is to happen, it makes political sense to do it now, otherwise Democrats could hammer Republicans on the issue during the summer break.

[NormsRevenge]

ap take on today's minimum wage efforts

--

Reuters thread from earlier today

House Republicans weigh minimum wage hike

[traditional1]

"but we need to move forward with it just for political reasons.'"

Shoulda posted a dumb-a#$ alert on this one.

These yo-yo's are afraid of their own shadow, and they will allow EVERY Democrat candidate to claim "we got the minimum wage increased for working families", and the Republicans gain zero........

[Spirochete]

One less distinction between Democrats and Republicans.

[traditional1]

</I>

[traditional1]

"but we need to move forward with it just for political reasons.'"

Shoulda posted a dumb-a#$ alert on this one.

These yo-yo's are afraid of their own shadow, and they will allow EVERY Democrat candidate to claim "we got the minimum wage increased for working families", and the Republicans gain zero........

[DoughtyOne]

This is another issue that has been lofted to embarass conservative House members who actually have a clue. There's no way those folks are going to want to sign on to this, but now they are faced with the issue just months before an election.

I wish the Republican party had the ba--s to kick the a.h.s that are promoting this, out of the party, then run some actual conservatives to replace them.

[theDentist]

When they do roll over, the Dems will say it's not enough... no matter what the agreed upon minimum.

[DoughtyOne]

In fairness, it's only the limp wristed RINO Republicans who are promoting this. The rest of the crew knows what a dumba-- idea this is.

[Arkinsaw]

I am in favor of raising the minimum wage to $50 per hour as a start. Just come out and say that if the Democrats are right, then we need to make everyone rich.

Sure, it will shut down the economy but what they hey.

[NormsRevenge]

There are still some state primaries to go yet before the final slates are set. Here's hoping folks take note in those states.

[malia]

be awfully hard for them not to vote yes after giving themselves raises.

they have ...
all their expenses are paid

and living expenses

office paid for

staff and more staff and more staff paid for


and we vote them in and we pay for them!!!

who is smart and who is dumb!!!!

what do they do with their money.... well....

gore donated $250.00 to charity -- clinton's donated
their old used dress shirts for $25.00 each!

what else - well they get rich!!

the clinton's went into office owning nothing - never had owned a home -- and left office multi millionaires and in their words had fun!!!

[DoughtyOne]

We can hope.

[Principled]

Why Republicans will lose: (if they do)

"There's a general agreement among Republicans (opposing [insert random issue]) that `maybe we don't like it much, but we need to move forward with it just for political reasons.'"

JMHO

[saveliberty]

Can't we put Congress on a minimum wage scale? They have done so miserably, they barely deserve that much.

[PattonFan]

"There's a general agreement among Republicans (opposing the raise) that `maybe we don't like it much, but we need to move forward with it just for political reasons.'"

Have Republicans become pseudo Democrats? Have they no common sense? WHO is this Republican band playing for anyway?

[NormsRevenge]

Minimum Wage History

A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The graph shows both nominal (red) and real (blue) minimum wage values. Nominal values range from 25 cents per hour in 1938 to the current $5.15/hr. The greatest percentage jump in the minimum wage was in 1950, when it nearly doubled. The graph adjusts these wages to 2005 dollars (blue line) to show the real value of the minimum wage. Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the highest at $9.12. Note how the real dollar minimum wage rises and falls. This is because it gets periodically adjusted by Congress. The period 1997-2006, is the longest period during which the minimum wage has not been adjusted. States have departed from the federal minimum wage. Washington has the highest minimum wage in the country at $7.63 as of January 1, 2006. Oregon is next at $7.50. Cities, too, have set minimum wages. Santa Fe, New Mexico has a minimum wage of $9.50.

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Multiplying the minimum wage by a work year of 50, 40-hour weeks gives the annual earnings that can be expected from a minimum wage job. The red line is the poverty level annual income for a family of four. Minimum wages have never been sufficient to raise a family out of poverty, if only one member of the family works.

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The minimum wage has varied from a maximum of 90% of the poverty level in 1968 and has been between 53 and 62% since 1985. This is the lowest percentage since the poverty level was established in 1959.

---

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical Abstract of the United States, and Survey of Current Business.

[afnamvet]

Oh Hell no.

[PattonFan]

I wish the Republican party had the ba--s to kick the a.h.s that are promoting this, out of the party, then run some actual conservatives to replace them.

I once had a friend, who received as a gift from co-workers, two HUGE Brass Balls. Funny! We ought to send our representatives the same thing!

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

These Idiots make me sick no backbone and no balls how do they call themselves men when they keep doing childish deeds.!

And whats it say about the voting public when they keep puting Idiots like these in office ?

[D-Chivas]

No teenager I know makes anything close to minimum wage.