MINIMUM WAGE WATCH
Inflation adjusted in $2008

> 1950 - $6.67
> 1968 - $9.86
< 1997 - $6.88
< 2008 - $5.85

LIVING WAGE DAYS

"Resources For Living Wage Services & Community Events" (PDF)  

Op-ed: Holly Sklar Minimum wage raise too little, too late, Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune News Service 7/22/08

Press release: National Faith-Community Alliance Launches Campaign to End Poverty Wages Let Justice Roll Urges Faith Leaders to Endorse Call for $10 in 2010 7/22/08

Bill Moyers Journal, Watch Holly Sklar, Are We Living the American Dream in Reverse? PBS, 6/13/08
Holly Sklar discusses the state of the American dream and what's needed for progress in the future.

Watch the show at Bill Moyers Journal on PBS or YouTube.
Read a transcript of the show and Blog comments

Op-ed: James Lardner, Minimum Wage x 3 = Nearly a Living Wage, Inequality.org 6/19/08

Op-ed: Billie Stanton, What they plan to do with our money, Tucson Citizen 6/18/08

Op-ed: Holly Sklar, Tax Day gifts for the rich, Providence Journal 4/15/08

Op-Ed: Adam Cohen, Editorial Observer After 75 Years, the Working Poor Still Struggle for a Fair Wage, New York Times 6/17/08

Letter: Put Your Stimulus Payment to Work for Living Wages, 5/1/08

LETTERS to the Editor Sampler

Rev. Rebekah Jordan, UMNS Faith leaders call for living wage, honor King 3/18/08

Michael Lollar, Living wage advocates rally: National and local coalitions to fast for 24 hours in support of earnings increases, 3/13/08

MINIMUM WAGE 40% LESS ON 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. KING'S FINAL DAYS IN MEMPHIS, Faith Leaders Call for Living Wage at Interfaith Gathering, March 13th

Econ-Atrocity blog, Raise the minimum wage!, 2/29/08

Press Release: Faith Leaders Call for Living Wage on 40th Anniversary of Dr. King's Work in Memphis: Interfaith Gathering in Memphis, March 13, with National and Local Speakers 2/26/08

Jim Abrams, AP, Congress members get $4,000 pay raise, 1/9/08

Bill Boyne, Post Bulletin (MN), The rich keep getting richer, 12/28/07

Bread for the World, Hunger 2008: Working Harder for Working Families (pdf)

UC Berkeley Labor Center, Wage Policies and Wal-Mart: How a Higher Wage Standard Would Impact Wal-Mart Workers and Shoppers (pdf), 12/07

UC Berkeley Labor Center, A Downward Push: The Impact of Wal-Mart Stores on Retail Wages and Benefits (pdf), 12/07

Al Norman, Huffington Post A $10 minimum wage at Wal-Mart?, 12/07

Op-Ed: Holly Sklar, Billionaires up, America down, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

DMI Blog, Minimum Wage, Maximum Good, 10/31/07

Op-Ed: John E. Schwarz, Raise poverty line to reflect economic reality, Newsday, 9/18/07

Robert Kuttner, Boston Globe, For workers, it's no holiday, 9/3/07

U.S. Census Bureau, annual Income, Poverty and Health Insurance reports

David Moberg, In These Times, The Secret Lives of Plutocrats, 8/28/07

Dallas Business Journal, July's minimum wage hike has only upside for workers and businesses, 8/9/07

Jim Hightower, Pushing for Shared Prosperity, 8/8/07

Cleveland Plain Dealer Editorial, CEO pay and the minimum wage, 8/6/07<

Op-Ed: Holly Sklar, Pay CEOs less, minimum wage workers more, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Support the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA): Click here for Faith Leaders Sign On Letter, More Actions and Information

Chart: Real Value of the Minimum Wage 1938 - 2006

Post-Election Teleconference Click Here to Listen

U.S. Census Bureau, annual Income, Poverty and Health Insurance reports

Wal-Mart/wages:
•  A Just Minimum Wage, Ch. 6, "Low Road vs High Road" on "Wal-Mart business model; Costco comparison
•  http://walmartwatch.com/
• Business Week, What's with Wal-Mart's sales woes? 11/29/06
• Business Week, The flip side of Wal-Mart's pay hikes, 8/14/06
•  WakeUpWalMart.com responds to Wal-Mart's salary changes, 8/8/06
• New York Times, Wal-Mart's latest special: 6% raises in some stores, 8/8/06
• Los Angeles Times, Wal-Mart to raise and limit wages, 8/8/06
• Bloomberg, Wal-Mart stores to increase starting pay rates, 8/7/06
• AP, Wal-Mart backs hike to minimum wage, 6/28/06
• Roll Call, Wal-Mart Flip-Flopped [on min wage], 6/28/06
• Economic Policy Institute, The Wal-Mart Debate: A False Choice Between Prices and Wages, 6/15/06

View more in National News/Releases Archive

" A Just Minimum Wage: Good for Workers, Business and Our Future"
By Holly Sklar
& Rev. Paul Sherry

Powerful economic and moral case for raising minimum wage and moving the U.S. from the low road to high road of enduring economic progress. A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it. More

• "Should be prescribed reading for members of congress." Post-Bulletin (MN) More
• ORDER hard copies-Discounts
•  Contact authors for speaking

• BUSINESS PEOPLE: SIGN-ON Statement to raise min. wage
•   800 Signatories to date
•   View More...

• State Campaign Contacts

States & Federal Minimum Wage 2008-09, PDF

General: Arkansas News Bureau Arkansas families casualties of souring economy 7/14/08

General: AP [CT] General Assembly overrides minimum wage veto 6/23/08

General: Workday Minnesota Minimum wage veto triggers response from worker advocates 5/18/08

General: Governor signs minimum wage increase, Maine raises minimum wage to $7.25 on 10/1/08, $7.50 on 10/1/09 4/17/08

General: Stateline.org, More states give tax credits to working poor 4/16/08

General: DC Dept. of Employment Services, The District’s Living Wage Rate Increases by 3 Percent [to $12.10] 3/3/08

General: The Record, Minimum wage hike proposed for N.J.

Colorado: Northern Colorado Business Report, Poverty: It's not just for unskilled anymore

Georgia: Athens Banner-Herald OneAthens prodded to push wages

Georgia: Op-Ed:, Brian Goldner Emory should work for fair pay, Emory [Univ.] Wheel

Georgia: The Signal, Coalition holds news conference to raise state minimum wage

Georgia: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Coalition pushes for minimum wage rise

Georgia: New Poll, Finds Overwhelming Majority of Georgians Support Federal Minimum Wage for State's Working Poor

Georgia: Op-Ed: Lya Sorano, Businesses back wage raise; state should, too, Atlanta Journal Constitution

Indiana: Stephanie Salter, The Tribune-Star, When I run the country, everyone who wants a job gets a job

Kansas: Letters to the Editor: David Smith, Shameful wage, Lawrence Journal World

Kansas: Op-Ed: Graham Kreicker, Take a Stand: Minimum wage is too low, Lawrence Journal World

Kansas: The University Daily Kansan, Group works for more than just peanuts

Kansas: Lawrence Journal World Minimum wage proposal fails

Kansas: Testimony to Kansas Senate Commerce Committee on the minimum wage Given by Heidi Zeller on behalf of the Kansas Action Network

Kansas: Topeka Capital Journal blog on minimum wage

Kansas: The Capital-Journal Senate panel debates merit of raising minimum wage

Kansas: Journal-World Bill proposes increasing minimum wage in state

Kansas: Journal-World Advocates seek increase in state minimum wage

Kansas: The Capital-Jounral Speaker recounts King's call for living wage

Kansas: 27 News CBS MLK Day Celebrations in Topeka

Kansas: The Capital-Jounral Report shows KS minimum wage increase would be positive change

Kansas: Op-Ed: David Hansen and Kirby Clark, Wichita should establish citywide minimum wage, Wichita Eagle

Massachusetts: Letter to the Editor: Kathleen Manson, Using minimum wage hike as reason for teens not working is obfuscation Patriot Ledger, 7/1/08

Massachusetts: Letter to the Editor: Christopher Martell, Self-serving appeal to create 2nd class of workers Boston Globe, 6/5/08

New Hampshire: Foster's Daily Democrat, Housing out of reach: New survey shows soaring rental costs in the Seacoast

New Hampshire: New Hampshire Business Review, N.H. rent increases among tops in nation

New Jersey: The Star-Ledger, John Edwards calls for N.J. minimum wage hike during Newark stop

New Jersey: AP, Edwards urges minimum wage hike in NJ

New Jersey: Cherry Hill Courier Post, Coalition: Raise minimum wage

New Jersey: State of New Jersey, First Annual Report of the New Jersey Minimum Wage Advisory Commission

New Jersey: The Adequacy of New Jersey's Minimum Wage: Submission to the New Jersey Minimum Wage Advisory Commission From New Jersey Policy Perspective, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice

Ohio: Akron Beacon Journal, Banking on a degree [with comparison of college cost in minimum wage hours 1965, 2007]

Oklahoma: Enid News and Eagle Owners: Wage hike will not affect businesses – they already pay more

Oklahoma: Enid News Editorial, Waging a Battle: Enid needs more than pay hike, it needs diverse careers

Oklahoma: Enid News, Faith, wages topics of forum

Oklahoma: The Oklahoman, Professors debate ‘living wage' rate, fairness

Pennsylvania: Times-Tribune, Cost of living minimum wage adjustment may go on '08 ballot

Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Inquirer, Bill requires better minimum-wage benefits [for City-funded employers]

Tennessee: Op-Ed: Charles M. North and Bob Smietana, Must the poor always be with us? What do we do?, The Tennessean

Tennessee: Op-Ed: Melissa Snarr, Fair wage engenders basic human dignity, The Tennessean

Tennessee: The Tennessean Editorial, When fewer working families live in poverty, we all benefit

Tennessee: Commercial Appeal (Memphis), Living wage advocates rally: National and local coalitions to fast for 24 hours in support of earnings increases

Tennessee: MINIMUM WAGE 40% LESS ON 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. KING'S FINAL DAYS IN MEMPHIS, Faith Leaders Call for Living Wage at Interfaith Gathering, March 13th

Tennessee: Op-Ed: Rev. Rebekah Jordan, Minimum wage up a little but still not a living, Memphis Commercial Appeal

Virginia: Living Wage Proposed For School Employees, Washington Post

Virginia: Op-Ed: Ann C. Hodges, Virginians deserve a living wage: Commonwealth should follow Maryland's lead, Washington Post

W. Virginia: Op-Ed: Homelessness: It’s everybody’s problem; we all need to find solutions Register-Herald (WV)

W. Virginia: Blog: Rick Wilson's Goat Rope Blog: Regular updates on minimum wage View More...