Yesterday on a nearly 52 to 46 nearly party line vote the Senate came up eight short of the 60 needed to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the next two years. As always, Republicans argue giving America’s working poor would be a “job killer.” Senators Hatch and Bennett voted against the increase. The minimum wage was last increased in 1997 and is now at its lowest point in inflation adjusted dollars since 1956.
While Senate Republicans were busy not giving the working poor a raise CNN and other media outlets were reporting the average CEO made nearly $11 million in 2005, or 262 times the average worker earning $41,861. $11 million is approximately 1025 times what a worker earning minimum wage makes.
As a society, we should value and reward work. That means giving people a wage they can live on in exchange for it and providing them with benefits like basic health care coverage and a reasonable and secure retirement. US Senators have received over $30,000 in raises since 1997, have one of the best pension plans in the United States, and access to the best healthcare money can buy. CEO’s are doing even better. Giving those working by the sweat of their brow a small raise every now and then isn’t too much to ask.