Murphy Vows To Raise Minimum Wage

In First 100 Hours

HARTFORD — Congressmen-Elect Chris Murphy and Joe Courtney this week announced that within the first 100 hours of legislative business in the new Congress, they will vote to raise the federal minimum wage, which has remained stagnant at $5.15 an hour since 1997. On December 11, Courtney and Murphy were joined by AFL-CIO President John Olsen, State Senator Edith Prague, Scot X. Esdaile, president of the Connecticut Conference of NAACP branches, and Reverend Dr Alvan Johnson, pastor, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, to discuss the importance of raising the wage.

American families have seen their real income drop by almost $1,300 since 2000. Meanwhile, the cost of everything from gas to college tuition has gone up. On December 2 of this year, the United States reached the longest period of time without a federal minimum wage increase since 1938.

“After years of the Republican Congress denying minimum wage workers a raise, the new Congress will take it up within the first 100 hours of business, and I will proudly vote to raise that wage for working people across this country. It is the moral thing to do, and the right thing to do to bring the federal wage on par with the minimum wage here in Connecticut,” said Mr Murphy.

“The complete failure of the Republican-controlled 109th Congress to address this injustice is one of the many reasons why voters turned out in historic numbers to change the control of Congress. It’s time we begin addressing the needs of working families who have been completely forgotten in this President’s agenda and who deserve more from their elected representatives,” said Mr Courtney.

The federal minimum wage has been frozen at $5.15 since 1997 even though Congress has voted to raise its own pay nine times in that same period. Minimum wage is at its lowest level in 51 years, adjusted for inflation. (Source: Center for Economic Policy and Research)

Recent efforts in Congress to raise the minimum wage — which is earned by an estimated 6.6 million workers — failed after Congressional Republicans sabotaged the proposal by attaching provisions that would have given huge tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

Recent research has shown that increasing the minimum wage will not result in job loss. The Economic Policy Institute released a study in November 2006 that concluded that “wages are higher and employment is no lower” in states with a higher minimum wage than those without.

“Working families voted for a new direction when they helped put Representatives Murphy and Courtney into office, and we’re eager to work together to fight for an America that works for working families,” said Connecticut AFL-CIO President John Olsen. “Congressmen Murphy and Courtney worked hard in their tenure at the Connecticut General Assembly to raise the minimum wage to the current level of $7.40 and soon to be $7.65 in January. We are hopeful that Congressmen Murphy and Courtney can bring this same level of commitment to Washington and help all workers in America benefit from a raise in pay.”