    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [March 7, 2000]
    [Pages 399-400]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on Minimum Wage Legislation
    March 7, 2000

    Dear __________:
        I am writing this letter to strongly encourage Congress to pass
    clean, straightforward legislation to raise the minimum wage by $1--from
    $5.15 to $6.15--in two equal steps. Working families across this country
    deserve an increase that simply restores the real value of the minimum
    wage to what it was in 1982.
        Those who argue this modest pay raise would harm the economy could
    not be more wrong. Since 1996, when I worked with Congress to raise the
    minimum wage by 90 cents over 2 years, the unemployment rate has fallen
    from 5.2 percent to 4.1 percent--near the lowest level in 30 years, more
    than 10 million new jobs

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    have been created, and economic growth has averaged 4.3 percent.
        Despite this overwhelming evidence, some in Congress are insisting
    on a lengthier 3-year increase in the minimum wage--a delay that would
    cost a full-time, year-round worker more than $900 over 2 years. Others
    have chosen to use the minimum wage increase as a vehicle to repeal
    important overtime protections for American workers. And finally, some
    are using this minimum wage increase to pass irresponsible tax cuts that
    would threaten our fiscal discipline and jeopardize our ability to
    extend the life of Medicare and Social Security and pay down the debt by
    2013.
        Let me be clear--this is the wrong approach. I will veto any
    legislation that holds this minimum wage increase hostage to provisions
    that delay this overdue pay raise or jeopardize our ability to
    strengthen Social Security and Medicare and pay down the debt by 2013
    for future generations.
        All Americans should be able to share in our current economic
    prosperity. For a full-time worker at the minimum wage, this increase
    would provide a $2,000 annual raise--enough for family of four to buy
    groceries for 7 months or pay rent for 5 months. More than 10 million
    workers would benefit from this proposal, the majority of them women.
    Congress should do the right thing and give these workers a raise.
            Sincerely,

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the
    House of Representatives; Richard A. Gephardt, House minority leader;
    Trent Lott, Senate majority leader; and Thomas A. Daschle, Senate
    minority leader. An original was not available for verification of the
    content of this letter.