Congressman Stephen F. Lynch, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Labor and Working Families, took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on January 10 to urge his colleagues to support an increase in the minimum wage.  “The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007,” which will lift the minimum wage from $5.15/hour to $7.25/hour over the next two years, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support by a margin of 315-116.  The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

The remarks of Congressman Lynch follow:

Mr. Speaker,

I rise in support of raising the minimum wage for America's neediest workers.  It has been 10 long years and America's workers need a raise.  I think that this debate really does bring into focus the differences between our parties.  I've heard from my colleagues that government should not intervene in the market.  These are workers who are completely powerless to improve their wages.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, of the nearly seven million workers directly affected by the minimum wage:

• 80 percent are adults;
• 54 percent work full time, and;
• 59 percent are women.

The reality is that working families are struggling everyday to try to make ends meet on a minimum wage that is simply inadequate.  In today's economic climate, minimum wage workers working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, earn $10,712.  That's more than $5,000 below the poverty line for a family of three.  Quite simply, these families deserve a raise.

That's why I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the Fair Minimum Wage Act.  It's about time that we in the House of Representatives did the right thing for the millions of minimum wage workers in this country.

Thank you and I yield back the remainder of my time.

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