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Rep. Edwards Hosts Federal Minimum Wage Town Hall

8/21/13

On Monday, August 26, 2013, Rep. Edwards hosted a town hall to discuss the importance and impact of raising the federal minimum wage.  It was a packed house as we heard  panelists explain that when you adjust for inflation, today’s minimum wage is worth about $2 less than it was in 1968.  Our excellent panel consisted of: David Cooper, Economic Analyst, Economic Policy Institute; Britton Loftin, National Policy Coordinator, Restaurant Opportunities Center; Valarie Long, Vice President, Service Employees International Union; and Christine Owens, Executive Director, National Employment Law Project Action Fund.

 

Rep. Edwards is also a cosponsor of Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative George Miller’s (CA-11) Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013. The bill would increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10, in three steps of 95 cents, setting an adequate base before implementing automatic adjustments to keep pace with the rising cost of living. The legislation also includes a raise in the tipped minimum wage for the first time in 20 years, an issue that I have championed in H.R. 650, the WAGES Act, which I reintroduced in the 113tth Congress.

Fed Minimum Wage TH (08/21/13 11:36 AM PST)