[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 23, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H3663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            THE MINIMUM WAGE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Clayton] is 
recognized during morning business for 4 minutes.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, every person who works desires to earn a 
livable wage. That is the reason for working.
  That is not true today.
  Some 12 million workers earn a mere minimum wage.
  What is a minimum wage?
  A minimum wage is the least, the lowest, the smallest wage possible--
a minimal wage.
  It is not a wage that reflects the cost of living.
  It is a wage that the law allows an employer to pay, without regard 
to the cost of basics--food, clothing, and shelter.
  A worker can work very hard and be productive--40 hours a week--and 
his boss is only required to pay the least, the lowest, the smallest 
possible wage--a minimal wage.
  Mr. Speaker, is it fair to allow employers to pay a wage that is 50 
cents less in value than it was when the wage was set 5 years ago? That 
is a 40-year low.
  The price of living has steadily risen, while the pay for working has 
steadily fallen.
  The proposal to increase wages to make them more livable is a 
constrained proposal.
  The increase would be a barely significant 90-cents per hour--in two 
installments of 45 cents each, over 2 years--raising the minimum wage 
from $4.25 to $5.15.
  Yet, while the 90-cent increase is barely significant when compared 
to wage and income increases among managers, politicians, and other 
professionals--it is an increase that could make life livable for 
millions of Americans.
  A 90-cent raise in pay for minimum-wage workers would add $1,800 in 
additional income over a year.
  That amount of money--$1,800--could buy 7 months' worth of groceries 
for the humble and unassuming family.
  That amount of money--$1,800--for a single mother, with children--
could cover 4 months of basic housing costs; 9 months of utility bills; 
more than a full year's tuition at a junior college; and 1 year of 
health care costs.
  That amount of money could make a substantial difference in the 
quality of life for the working poor in America.
  Who are the working poor in America, Mr. Speaker?
  Most are adults--20 years old or older. In fact, more than 7 out of 
every 10 of the working poor are adults.
  Also, most are women, and many are single, heads of households, with 
children. In fact, about 6 out of every 10 of the working poor are 
women.
  Mr. Speaker, the least, the lowest, the smallest possible wage--the 
minimum wage--that the working poor can earn has increased just once in 
the past quarter of a century. That one increase in 25 years was by 90 
cents in two installments as well.
  Thoughful economists and scholars throughout the United States have 
closely monitored and studied the impact of minimum wage increases on 
the economy.
  An impressive list of those economists and scholars have concluded 
that increasing the minimum wage had no significant, long-term, adverse 
impact on employment.
  Indeed, a higher minimum wage can make it easier to fill vacancies 
and can decrease employee turnover.
  We will soon debate welfare reform proposals. How can we 
realistically expect cooperation from those on public assistance when, 
at current minimum wage levels, a person who leaves welfare and takes a 
job would simply move from one poverty status to another?
  In 1955, more than four decades ago, the value of the minimum wage 
was a little less than $4. Today, the value of the minimum wage is a 
little more than $4. Surely, we should not expect a worker in 1996 to 
live on 1955 wages.
  Historically, the issue of a fair minimum wage has enjoyed broad, 
bipartisan support. The issue deserves no less today.
  I urge all my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, to join in 
supporting a livable wage for all Americans.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 940, a bill with a modest 
increase in the minimum wage.

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