Minimum Wage Issue

The minimum wage was first enacted into law as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938. The original minimum wage applied to workers engaged in interstate commerce and the production of goods for interstate commerce. In 1938, this applied to roughly 11.0 million workers out of a total of 54.9 million workers. The minimum wage was set at $0.25 per hour. However, by 1966 the minimum wage $1.25 and applied to virtually all workers. In its beginnings, the minimum wage was set at a value that was high enough for a person to live off of (Valetta 3). However, in recent years someone who works a job that pays minimum wage will fall well below the poverty line. Therefore, instead of somebody working three jobs to support their family, a
The seven years since the last increase is the second longest period, which Congress has failed to increase the minimum wage. As a result of the unchanging minimum wage, a full-time minimum wage paycheck, which would have kept a family of three above the poverty threshold during most of the 1960s and 1970s, provides an annual income that is not even three-quarters of the poverty line in 2003(Miller 1). Many of the 12.1 million American children living below the poverty line would benefit from such an increase. The current earnings of a single parent working full-time at minimum wage covers only 42 percent of the estimated cost of raising two children. This is down from 48 percent in 1997 when the minimum wage was last raised. If the minimum wage were raised to $10.00 per hour, it would cover a much greater percent of the costs of raising two children, a significant improvement for working families (Michl 4).

Contrary to a common perception, minimum wage jobs are not reserved for teens. In fact, most minimum wage workers are adults, and many are the key breadwinners in their families. Recent research shows that moderate increases in the minimum wage can help boost the earnings of many working poor families, including families leaving welfare for work. This will occur without resulting in a loss of job
This is according to a W.K. Kellogg Foundation poll and a survey conducted by Jobs for the Future. The poll found broad support for the idea that work should pay enough to support a family. In the JFF survey, 94 percent of Americans agree, "as a country, we should make sure that people who work full-time should be able to earn enough to keep their families out of poverty." Some 77 percent in the Kellogg poll agreed that government should help families that leave welfare for work but remain poor (Sklar