Catherwood LibraryILR School

While the Democratic Party looks to make a much delayed move to raise the national minimum wage one of its signature priorities in the new year, its modest proposal actually falls behind what states have already done to raise wages for workers. The Democrats? plan calls for a three-step increase to $7.25 an hour from the current minimum of $5.15 an hour, but many states, outside of those in the South and Southwest have state minimums ranging from $6.15 to $7.63 an hour, putting 70 percent of the nation?s work force well above the federal level. Advocates say the difficulty in building a national populist consensus to raise minimum wages at the federal level has hampered Congress? ability to take the lead in such measures.