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Congressman Brendan Boyle Supports Federal Wage Hike to $12 Per Hour in Yearly Increments
A federal proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $12 per hour in deliberate increments by 2020 has been co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-13th Dist. The Raise the Wage Act, introduced Thursday in both the House and Senate, would also gradually eliminate the subminimum tipped wage system and index the Federal minimum wage to keep pace with the rising median wage after the bill is adopted. One hundred sixty-one representatives and senators have co-sponsored the bill so far….
Under the federal bill, the federal minimum wage would start to rise almost immediately. Beginning in January 2016, or three months after the date of enactment, the federal minimum wage would increase by $0.75 to $8 per hour. The first raise would be followed by $1 per hour increases every year until it reaches $12. Starting in 2021, the federal minimum wage would keep pace with rising wages overall through automatic annual increases to keep the ratio of the minimum wage constant with the median wage….
Boyle addressed the argument that small business owners will not be able to afford the pay raises and related increases in employer Social Security co-payments and unemployment insurance. He said those owners would have time to accommodate the mandated raises. “The raises are incremental and it would be completed by 2020,” Boyle said. “This is a benefit to all taxpayers. There are minimum wage workers who qualify for Medicaid and food stamps. It helps the working poor and also all of us who are working in the economy.” Read more…