Joe Biden: “I come to this debate on the minimum wage from a different perspective than some of my colleagues here today. In January…”

“I come to this debate on the minimum wage from a different perspective than some of my colleagues here today. In January of this year, my State of Delaware decided to raise the minimum wage, after a debate a lot like the one we are hearing today. We like to think that Delaware is a special place, Mr. President, and in many ways it is. But it is also a lot like the rest of the country. We have big businesses and small, we have world-class high-technology businesses in chemicals and pharmaceuticals, a cutting-edge financial service sector and--a lot of my colleagues are surprised when I tell them this--a major agricultural sector. With that kind of diversity, I think Delaware has something to teach the rest of the country. We are, after all, the first State to ratify the Constitution, so we think our example is worth following. The proposal we adopted in Delaware is much like the one before the Senate today. The proposal before us today would call for a two-step increase in the minimum wage, from the current $4.25 an hour to $5.15. In Delaware, we also chose a two-step increase, from $4.25 to $5.00. In my State, that increase will directly affect over 30,000 Delawareans and their families, 9.5 percent of the work force, just a little below the national average of 11.5 percent who currently work for the minimum wage.”