Washington, DC – Congressman Joe Baca (D-Rialto) spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, calling for an increase in the minimum wage, which is at its lowest point in 50 years when adjusted for inflation.  “Throughout my years of public service I have fought for working families in the Inland Empire.  Raising the minimum wage is a priority for me and my fellow Democrats,” Rep. Baca said.

 

Congress has not raised the minimum wage since 1997.  If the minimum wage had kept pace with inflation since 1968 (when it was $1.60 an hour) it would have been $9.14 an hour in 2005.

A full-time minimum wage earner earns just $10,700 a year, well below the poverty line. 

 

Rep. Baca said, “At a time when the costs of health care, energy, and college keep rising, and millions of American families are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet, and going deeper in debt, Republicans are focused on the wrong priorities.  They have passed huge tax cuts that help millionaires, but they have not helped working families.”

 

Democrats have proposed gradually increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over two years.  “Our bill would pass if the full Congress voted, but Republican leaders will not let us vote on it,” Rep. Baca explained. “I believe that no American who works full-time should have to live in poverty. Raising the minimum wage is a matter of fairness and also will help local families, communities and businesses.”

 

Latino families in the Inland Empire and across the country are among those especially affected by changes in the minimum wage.  Latinos comprise about 12 percent of the U.S. workforce but represent almost 20 percent of those who would benefit from a minimum wage increase.

 

Nearly 2.8 million Latinos nationwide would likely benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, which translates into an additional $4,370 a year to help earners support their families.  “That would be a big boost to working families.  It could cover 2 years of child care, tuition at a community college, heat and electricity for more than a year, a year of groceries or almost a year of rent.  Unfortunately, Republicans are failing to help Latinos and other American working families with their misplaced priorities.”

 

Increasing the minimum wage would benefit as many as 15 million Americans, directly boosting the pay of 7.3 million workers, including 1.8 million parents with children.  An additional eight million workers would benefit indirectly, via resulting raises.

 

“Minimum wage workers are not just teenagers working after school or during the summer for extra spending money,” Rep. Baca noted. Nearly three-quarters of minimum wage workers are adults over the age of 20, and many are responsible for over half of their family’s income.  Forty percent of minimum wage workers are the sole breadwinners in their families.

 

Rep. Baca has signed a “discharge petition,” which would force a Floor vote on the Democrats’ minimum wage bill if supporters secure 218 Member signatures.  There are currently 189 signatures on the petition. “Democrats will continue pushing for action on this issue until Republicans allow a fair vote,” he asserted.}