Bernie Sanders’ push to more than DOUBLE the federal minimum wage to $17 per hour
Bernie Sanders push to more than DOUBLE federal minimum wage to $17 an hour: Senator launches bill to raise rate from $7.25 as Americans need ‘living’ allowance after inflation
- Legislation would set a $17 minimum wage, higher than the $15 he proposed in 2021 and well above the current national minimum wage of $7.25
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 141,000 hourly workers earned the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour in 2022
Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill Thursday to raise the minimum wage by more than $10.
His legislation would introduce a $17 minimum wage, higher than the $15 he proposed in 2021 and well above the current national minimum wage of $7.25.
The Vermont Independent said the committee he chairs, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, would mark the bill on June 14 and he hoped it would be voted on by the full floor.
Twenty-nine states, in addition to Washington, DC and Guam, have minimum wages above $7.25. The median hourly wage in the US is currently $33.18.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 141,000 hourly workers earned the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour in 2022.
Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill Thursday to raise the minimum wage by more than $10
“If you work 40 to 50 hours a week, you shouldn’t be living in poverty,” Sanders said at a news conference.
Two years ago, eight Democrats along with all Republicans opposed Sanders’ proposal to include a $15 minimum wage in the US bailout. He said $17 in 2023 equals $15 in 2021 because of inflation.
Sanders noted that 13 states have already passed a $15 minimum wage, including right-wing Nebraska.
“This is not a red issue, not a blue issue, it’s an American issue,” he said.
In the year 2023, in the richest country in the history of the world, no one should be forced to work for starvation wages. That’s not a radical idea. If you work 40 to 50 hours a week, you shouldn’t be living in poverty,” Sanders added.