Post by bot on May 28, 2017 20:28:50 GMT -5
Hoyer Remarks at Press Conference to Reintroduce the Raise the Wage Act
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined House and Senate Democrats today to introduce the Raise the Wage Act of 2017, which will raise the minimum wage nationwide incrementally from the current level of $7.25 to $15.00 an hour by 2024. Below are his remarks, as prepared for delivery:
“I’m proud to join my colleagues today to introduce the Raise The Wage Act in the 115th Congress.
“In the most robust economic recovery in our history, we’ve created millions of jobs and brought our economy back from recession.
“However, wages haven’t risen to keep pace, and many Americans are working two, three jobs just to make ends meet.
“The federal minimum wage hasn’t been raised in eight years, and it’s time for Congress to raise it and help ensure that those who work full time can make it in America.
“In 1968, the minimum wage was worth $11.08 in today’s dollars. Today’s minimum of $7.25 would need to be increased by more than 50% to match the purchasing power the minimum wage had half a century ago.
“In addition to raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, our bill would phase out Section 14-C of the Fair Labor Standards Act. That provision, which was helpful in bringing people with disabilities into the workplace at a time when employers were inclined not to hire them, is in need of change. Today, this provision is used to pay Americans with disabilities far less than other American workers, sometimes even a penny an hour.
“With twenty-first century employers recognizing the benefits of hiring Americans with differing abilities, it is no longer necessary to keep a separate, lower minimum wage to entice such hiring. But we recognize that this cannot change overnight, which is why we include a gradual, seven-year phase-in period to bring the minimum wage for those with disabilities up to the full $15 an hour.
“I’m proud that we are joined in supporting this change by national advocates for those with differing abilities, including: National Federation Of The Blind; National Disability Rights Network; National Association Of Councils On Developmental Disabilities; and more than eighty other groups.
“If President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress are serious about helping American workers and their families, I urge them to join us in supporting this bill to ‘raise the wage.’
“I’m now pleased to introduce Michael Lastoria, CEO of &pizza.”