Reuters:House panel OKs minimum wage boost (to $7.25 per hour)

(But, there's a catch, this is the wrong committee for this proposal, the House Appropriations committee has NO jurisdiction over this matter. This looks like another purely "election coming up" political move to me.)

House panel OKs minimum wage boost

But proposal to raise rate to $7.25 an hour by the start of 2009 could get squashed before it reaches House floor.

June 13, 2006: 6:35 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives panel Tuesday voted to raise the U.S. minimum wage in increments to $7.25 an hour by Jan. 1, 2009. The House Appropriations Committee backed the proposal by a vote of 32-27 during work on a massive fiscal 2007 funding bill for labor and health programs.

The surprise result came after seven Republicans on the committee supported the Democratic amendment. But the legislation faces many hurdles, including possible efforts by Republican leaders to have the proposal stricken from the legislation, according to Republican and Democratic aides.

Under the proposal, which was offered by House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, the current $5.15-per-hour federal minimum wage would rise in 70-cent increments starting Jan. 1, 2007. On that date, the minimum wage would be set at $5.85 and a year later it would go to $6.55 before topping off at $7.25 in 2009.

Opponents, using House rules, could argue that this change in law should not be attached to annual spending bills, such as the measure approved by the House Appropriations Committee.

(more at link)

<http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/13/news/economy/minwage.reut/?cnn=yes>

...the MW should be increased...our reps just gave themselves a raise, but don't want to give anyone else one...so much for the trickle down economic theory...but if it passes, kudo's to ANYONE who votes it through...

are more than a bit worried about their re-election chances

hope this doesn't help

They only want to raise the minimum wage by .70 cents in Jan '07??? SEVENTY CENTS???? What's with this tiered approach? And why can't they even agree to do that much but they can turn around and give themselves $3300 raises??

Whoever kills this -- and it WILL be a REPUKE -- slits his own freakin throat. I swear this Congress is made up of the most miserable, miserly curmudgeons when it comes to doing something decent, ONE DECENT THING, for Americans!!

about working Americans they would pass a minimum wage increase to $7.25 effective starting July 1 of this year. This tiered nonsense, which will not pass anyway, is nothing more than election year nonsense.

(This is from May 26, 2006)

Senate lawmakers unanimously approved a measure yesterday that would increase the state's minimum wage to $8.25 an hour -- the highest in the country -- and guarantee future increases tied to hikes in the cost of living.

The passage sets up a likely negotiation with the House, where leaders yesterday predicted that a bill calling for a minimum wage increase will pass in some form next month.

The minimum wage is $6.75 an hour in Massachusetts. The Legislature last approved an increase in 1999, voting to raise the hourly minimum wage from $5.25 to $6.00 starting in 2000, and from $6.00 to $6.75 in 2001.

Under the Senate bill, the minimum wage would jump to $7.50 on Sept. 1 and to $8.25 on September 1, 2007. After that, the minimum wage would increase automatically every Sept. 1 to reflect any rise in the urban consumer price index, a measure of inflation in cities across the United States.

<snip>

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/05/26/senate_oks_minimum_wage_hike/

in many places, and STILL can't keep people.

Perhaps employers need to learn they have to treat the help like human beings too. If they want loyalty, they need to show some.

:kick: