Rep. Wasserman Schultz Praises First Federal Minimum Wage Increase in Ten Years

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Wasserman Schultz (FL-20) joined members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate at an event Tuesday in Washington, DC marking the first day that a new federal minimum wage took effect in states across the country. The minimum wage increase is part of a broader Democratic effort to provide more opportunity for working families and restore the American dream.

“For ten years, minimum wage workers have been denied the raise they deserve,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “Democrats pledged to raise the minimum wage. We made good on our promise and today, over five million workers across America are seeing what happens when Congress puts the American people first.”

It has been 10 years since American workers have seen an increase in the federal minimum wage—the longest increase gap in the history of the law. Over that decade, inflation has all but erased the effect of the last raise – leaving millions of families behind – with the minimum wage reaching its lowest effective level in more than half a century. The 70 cent increase brings the federal minimum wage to $5.85 for 2007, $6.55 in July of 2008 and $7.25 by July 2009. By 2009, a minimum wage worker will see a $4,400 annual increase in their pay.

In 2004 Florida voters passed a approved an amendment to the state constitution raising the minimum wage by $1 and attaching an annual cost of living index to the wage increase. This leadership helped show federal lawmakers that an increase does not negatively impact the economy, but rather helps lift workers out of poverty. While the state minimum wage currently exceeds the federal minimum wage at $6.67/hour, in two years, July 2009, the federal minimum wage will rise to $7.25/hour, making it higher than Florida’s state minimum and improving the lives of over 500,000 Floridians.

The wage increase also marks one of the first steps in Democrats’ efforts to grow our economy and provide more opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. The New Direction Congress is fighting for:

•  the largest effort to reduce college costs since the GI Bill in 1944;
• tax breaks for middle and low income Americans
• new American jobs created by growing our renewable energy and technology sectors;
• cost-effective health coverage for millions of uninsured children;
• lower energy costs for all Americans; and
• a return to fiscal responsibility in Washington, no longer passing the debt on to future generations of Americans, with pay as you go budget discipline and a budget that balances in five years, unlike the President’s.

“The Democratic-led Congress is getting America back on track,” added Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “We are putting people first and fighting to give more opportunities to working families in Florida.”