[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 14, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE ACT

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                               speech of

                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 9, 2000

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, virtually every day we hear reports of our 
booming economy and the unprecedented economic expansion. Unemployment 
and inflation rates are at historic lows. Today we will debate the 
merits of a one-dollar pay raise for the American worker--a pay raise 
the American people overwhelmingly support, need and deserve.
  The 1990s brought our nation's CEOs a 481% rise in pay while the 
average American worker saw an increase of only 28%. If the minimum 
wage earner's pay had increased at the same level as the CEOs, they 
would be now earning nearly $46,000 a year.
  In order to have the same purchasing power of the 1968 minimum wage, 
the current minimum wage would have to be raised to $7.49 per hour. 
Further, the one-dollar wage increase we are debating would only 
restore the real value of the minimum wage to 1982 levels. As it 
stands, a working parent with two children will earn $10,700 a year at 
the current minimum wage--$3,200 below the poverty line.
  When we debated the last minimum wage increase in 1996, many of my 
colleagues voiced fears that it would reduce the number of jobs in the 
workplace, particularly for those harder-to-place employees or welfare 
recipients moving back into the workforce. It is clear that in the four 
years since Congress passed the last wage hike, the opposite occurred: 
nearly 10 million new jobs were created, the unemployment rate dropped 
and employers are actually having trouble finding enough workers to 
fill job openings.
  Mr. Speaker, this increase is about raising the standard of living 
for more than 10 million hard-working Americans. It is time that we 
stop delaying and pass this increase in the minimum wage.

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