Mike Levin: “the issue before us is straightforward. It is about whether or not we are truly committed to helping working people earn…”

“the issue before us is straightforward. It is about whether or not we are truly committed to helping working people earn a livable wage. Recently, we have begun to hear more concern expressed about jobs and wages for the working family in America. Some have newly discovered the problems that working families face today: the declining purchasing power of their wages, increasing health care costs, and the high cost of child care are among those most important. But, for some of us, and for the American people, this is not a new issue. Unfortunately, too little has been done to address these concerns. Today, we have the opportunity to take an important step in the right direction, by making sure that those hard-working Americans at the bottom of the wage ladder get closer to a fair living wage. Many workers in our society work for low wages and few benefits. They have virtually no bargaining power in their workplaces and any attempt to negotiate for higher wages is futile. For these workers, the government has historically provided protection in the form of a minimum wage. The Rand Corp. a highly respected think tank, recently reported what they called a double dose of bad news: economic inequality is growing and living standards for millions are getting worse. The last time we gave minimum wage workers a raise was 5 years ago April 1. The current minimum wage is $4.25. In the last 5 years, because of inflation, the buying power of that wage has fallen 50 cents.”