Res. No. 532
Resolution calling upon the United States Congress to pass S.1062/H.R.2429, “The Fair Minimum Wage Act”, which would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage in increments, to $7.25 an hour.
By Council Members Weprin, Comrie, Dickens, Brewer, Fidler, Gentile, Gerson, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Liu, Mealy, Nelson, Palma, Recchia Jr., Sears, Mark-Viverito and Foster
Whereas, The minimum wage was first enacted in 1938 as part of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); and
Whereas, The minimum wage had been increased several times in the decades since its inception; and
Whereas, The federal minimum wage is currently set at $5.15 an hour, the same rate it has been since September 1997; and
Whereas, According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, after adjusting for inflation, the value of the minimum wage is at its lowest level since 1955; and
Whereas, The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities also finds that minimum wage now equals only 31 percent of average wages for private sector non-supervisory employees, the greatest disparity since World War II; and
Whereas, According to the Economic Policy Institute, an estimated 14.9 million workers, or 11% of the nation’s workforce, would benefit from increasing the federal minimum wage to $7.25 by 2008; and
Whereas, Since the last raise in the minimum wage, costs for housing, clothing, gas, health care and child care, as well as other basic necessities, have drastically increased, and minimum wage workers are struggling tremendously; and
Whereas, The Economic Policy Institute states that women, minorities, children and single parent households in particular would greatly benefit from an increase in minimum wage; and
Whereas, Minimum wage employees working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, earn only $10,700 a year, nearly $6,000 below the poverty line for a family of three, according to the 2006 Federal Poverty Guidelines; and
Whereas, S.1062, The Fair Minimum Wage Act, introduced in the United States Senate and sponsored by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and H.R. 2429, introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman George Miller, would amend the FLSA to increase the federal minimum wage to: (1) $5.85 an hour, beginning on the 60th day after enactment, (2) $6.55 an hour, beginning 12 months after such 60th day, and (3) $7.25 an hour, beginning 24 months after such 60th day; and
Whereas, The issue is of such paramount importance that Congress should vote on the bill as soon as possible, and no amendments or riders to the bill should be drafted which do not directly involve increasing the minimum wage; and
Whereas, A fair increase for minimum wage workers is long overdue, especially in light of the fact that, during the past nine years, according to a June 28, 2006 article on CNN.com, members of Congress have voted to give themselves pay raises totaling $31,600; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the United States Congress to pass S.1062/H.R.2429, “The Fair Minimum Wage Act”, which would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to increase the federal minimum wage in increments, to $7.25 an hour.
LS 1708
9/19/06
JP