[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 31, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1100
                  KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE MINIMUM WAGE

  (Mr. GUTIERREZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, last week as the cherry blossoms bloomed 
in Washington, Americans were treated to yet another sight that they 
had long awaited, a Republican legislative agenda. Finally the GOP 
articulated an issue when the leader of the other body declared that 
Republicans would block any increase in the minimum wage. Yes, while 
the Dow Jones climbs higher, Republicans say that some workers are 
unworthy of sharing in America's prosperity.
  As my colleagues know, when trading closes each day on Wall Street, 
someone has to clean up the Stock Exchange, someone is serving drinks 
to the investors getting together to celebrate, and somebody is 
stitching together the $3,000 suits fashionable in the financial 
district. Yet some of those workers are struggling to get by on an 
annual income lower than the wardrobe expenses of some of the well-
dressed brokers.
  Mr. Speaker, I have one request of the Republican leader of the other 
body: Keep talking about the minimum wage. The staunch opposition can 
only help us in uniting working families, and when we Democrats pass a 
minimum wage increase over objections, we will be saying, ``Senator 
Lott, thanks a lot.''

                          ____________________