The minimum wage has historically been a contentious issue, but the Economic Policy Institute estimates that only 9% of American workers earn the federal minimum wage—putting the relevancy of the minimum wage in question. One explanation may be that states have the ability to mandate higher minimum wages within the state, thus alleviating the pressure of the federal government to do so. Other explanations may include the reduced stature of labor unions, the cooling of inflation, and tight labor markets.
See "Minimum wage meaningless in some places", Russ Wiles, USA Today, August 2, 2001