Congressman Cohen Applauds Congress for Increasing Minimum Wage
Washington, DC -- It has been more than 10 years since American workers have seen an increase in the federal minimum wage marking the longest gap in the history of the law. Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), long championing the need for an increase, was pleased to support legislation that brought about the first incremental wage increase since 1997. The federal minimum wage increase, going into effect today, from its current hourly rate of $5.15 to $5.85 is the first of three 70-cent increases which culminate in July of 2009 at $7.25/hour. The 3-step wage increase will soon add an additional $4,400 to a minimum-wage worker’s annual income.
Hosting a press conference in Memphis on Friday, July 20 outside the Clifford Davis and Odell Horton Federal Building to mark the increase, Congressman Cohen was joined by Rebekah Jordan, director of the Mid-South Interfaith Network for Economic Justice, Dorothy Crook, director of AFSCME Local 1733, and Lillian Davis, interview specialist/counselor with the State of Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. “This increase is the first step in helping thousands of hard-working Tennesseans,” Congressman Cohen said, “but it’s still not enough.” Helping an estimated 40,000 low-income workers in greater Memphis, the increase will provide additional funds for many who struggle to make ends meet. At the present $5.15 an hour, a full-time minimum-wage worker brings home an average of $10,700 a year – nearly $6,000 below the poverty level for a family of three.
Congressman Cohen noted that it was, “shameful that prior Republican Congresses failed to help the thousands of American families and workers who keep our nation running. While the price of gasoline was increasing by 150%, a worker earning minimum wage saw no increase in their weekly paycheck over a ten-year span. Meanwhile, members of Congress were granting themselves increases in pay in each of the following 5 sessions of Congress.”
In June of 2007, Congressman Cohen voted against granting a Congressional pay raise.
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Contact:
Marilyn Dillihay, Press Secretary, Congressman Cohen, (202) 225-3265