For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 07, 2001
Statement by AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee In Support of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2001
On behalf of the 1.3 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I strongly urge the Bush administration and Congress to support the proposal announced today by Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. David Bonior for a $1.50 an hour increase in the minimum wage over three years.
AFSCME has always been an ardent supporter of raising the minimum wage to a level that gives millions of men and women who work full-time the chance to climb out of poverty. Despite a 90-cent increase in 1996 and 1997, the real value of the current $5.15 per minimum wage is still substantially below what it was in the 1970s.
By raising the minimum wage to $6.65 an hour in three stages, the Kennedy-Bonior plan takes a big step towards meeting a basic need of working families. The overwhelming majority of the public says it supports a higher minimum wage, and there was strong bipartisan agreement last year on the need for a substantial increase. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership in Congress did not fulfill its obligation to extend the benefits of the country's record economic expansion to all working Americans.
Although the economy is slowing from its torrid pace of the last several years, this should not keep policymakers from raising the minimum wage. In 1990 and 1991, the minimum wage was increased during a downturn, yet further job losses did not result. And not only did the most recent hike clearly not hurt economic growth, it directly boosted the standard of living for almost 10 million Americans and produced an upward ripple effect for millions who earn a little more. Now that we are returning to more difficult economic times, President Bush and Congress have the moral obligation to give a boost to those workers who need it most.
The Bush administration has suggested that individual states should be allowed to opt out from any federal hike in the minimum wage. But this idea is misguided because it is precisely working men and women in low-wage states who most benefit from an increase, and history shows that these states do not end up losing more jobs.
Five years ago, Congress ended welfare as we know it, and now millions more Americans must enter the work force. It is only fair that they and others who toil at shamefully low salaries be guaranteed the opportunity to earn decent, humane wages for their effort.
