Wage Increase

WASHINGTON -- Working at $4.25 an hour for a company that cleans public schools in Baltimore, Keith Mahone is puzzled that there should be argument over President Clinton's proposal to raise the minimum wage."

The minimum wage rises from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour today, the last of a three-step increase approved by Congress two years ago in order to return some measure of relevancy to the federal standard that had been stuck at a paltry $5.15 for a decade. For the estimated 4.5 million workers who stand to benefit, this will be a cause for celebration. Others fear that what amounts to a 10 percent wage increase could not be more disastrously timed. They believe employers already suffering in a recession will have little choice but to lay off more workers.

WASHINGTON -- An increase in the federal minimum wage, which seemed to be heading toward passage as recently as last month, has been thrown into jeopardy with the departure of Bob Dole from the Senate, say senior Clinton administration officials.Dole, the Republican leader before he left the Senate to focus on his presidential campaign, opposed the Democrats' proposal to increase the minimum wage to $5.15 an hour from $4.25, but in late May he said he would be willing to move ahead with a vote.

An increase in the federal minimum wage to $6.55 an hour took effect yesterday, and unlike last year's increase - the first one at the federal level in 11 years - this one affects Maryland workers (the state minimum wage is $6.15). Bloggers had plenty to say about a pay raise for workers on the job market's lowest rung. "CNN reports: 'Rep. George Miller, a California Democrat who was one of the sponsors of the measure in the House, said up to 13 million workers benefited from the first increase under the bill, which brought the federal minimum wage to $5.85 per hour in July 2007.

WASHINGTON -- After months of partisan debate, the Senate will vote today on a hotly disputed bill to boost the minimum wage by 90 cents an hour.But before the showdown vote, senators will pass judgment on a Republican-backed amendment, sponsored by Missouri Sen. Christopher S. Bond, that President Clinton has denounced as a "poison pill."Clinton said its adoption would trigger his veto, a threat reiterated yesterday by Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich, who called the amendment "mean spirited" and said it was meant to deny the wage increase to millions of low-income workers.

WASHINGTON -- The House's Democratic majority, exercising its new political power, approved yesterday the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade - from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years. The measure heads to the Senate, where it is likely to be coupled with tax breaks for small businesses to win Republican votes in the narrowly divided chamber and secure President Bush's signature. The minimum wage has been unchanged since 1997, the longest period without a raise since the first minimum wage was enacted in 1938.

WASHINGTON -- The Republican-led Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to raise the minimum hourly wage by 90 cents over two years, handing an election-year victory to President Clinton and the minority-party Democrats.Twenty-seven Republicans joined the unanimous Democrats to approve the bill by a 74-24 vote.Earlier, five Republicans broke ranks to help Democrats defeat a GOP amendment that would have allowed small businesses to avoid paying the higher wage and would have delayed the wage increase by six months.

WASHINGTON -- On the eve of a crucial Senate vote to raise the federal minimum wage for millions of workers, organized labor and business groups are waging an all-out lobbying campaign to influence the outcome.Over the holiday weekend, the AFL-CIO spent nearly $100,000 for 60-second radio ads directed at senators in at least four states. Local union members also began calling senators in about 10 states, urging the same message: Approve an increase in the hourly wage to $5.15 from $4.25 and defeat a Republican amendment that Democrats say will gut the first rise in six years.

Republicans can squawk all they like, but that's an effective move the O'Malley campaign made Tuesday. The Democratic mayor of Baltimore challenged the Republican governor of Maryland to join him in supporting an increase in the federal minimum wage -- without tying the increase to another ridiculous tax break for millionaires. Republicans dismiss this as an election-year ploy by Martin O'Malley to score votes with the working class. Ploy? Supporting decent, living wages for working people is what a Democrat is supposed to do. You can look it up. In Maryland, it wouldn't hurt Republicans to do the same.

WASHINGTON -- A battle over whether to raise the minimum wage is spilling into congressional races, with the Democratic Party promising to increase the wage as one of its first acts should it win control of Congress. Democrats have crafted a campaign message attacking Republicans for accepting annual cost-of-living increases while denying a raise to 6.6 million low-income workers, who have not seen a minimum wage increase in nine years. The fight heated up yesterday as the Senate rejected a proposal by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, to boost the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the next two years.

WASHINGTON - About 64,000 workers in Maryland will get a pay raise tomorrow when the federal minimum wage bumps up to $6.55 an hour - the first federal increase to affect the state in a dozen years. For those working 40 hours a week at the state minimum of $6.15, the extra 40 cents an hour will amount to an additional $832 over the next 12 months. Another increase, scheduled to take effect next year, will add $1,456 a year.

With a deadline looming tomorrow, Baltimore County school board members approved a $1.17 billion spending plan last night, omitting a $20 million request that would have been used to raise wages for the system's lowest-paid workers - a sticking point that had stymied the usually routine budget process. On an 8-3 vote, board members turned down a proposal to raise the system's minimum hourly wage to $10 because of concerns that the move would come at too steep a price. The proposed wage increase fueled disagreement last week that kept the board from reaching a majority to approve the budget.

WASHINGTON -- The House's Democratic majority, exercising its new political power, approved yesterday the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade - from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years. The measure heads to the Senate, where it is likely to be coupled with tax breaks for small businesses to win Republican votes in the narrowly divided chamber and secure President Bush's signature. The minimum wage has been unchanged since 1997, the longest period without a raise since the first minimum wage was enacted in 1938.

Workers hoping that their wage increases will beat inflation should find some cheer next year. Employees are expected to see their paychecks grow by an average of 3.5 percent in 2007, according to projections by several compensation surveys. That should beat expected inflation of 2 percent to 3 percent, continuing a shift that began in recent months as the labor market has tightened and energy costs have fallen. Wage increases had generally lagged behind inflation since the 2001 recession.

Republicans can squawk all they like, but that's an effective move the O'Malley campaign made Tuesday. The Democratic mayor of Baltimore challenged the Republican governor of Maryland to join him in supporting an increase in the federal minimum wage -- without tying the increase to another ridiculous tax break for millionaires. Republicans dismiss this as an election-year ploy by Martin O'Malley to score votes with the working class. Ploy? Supporting decent, living wages for working people is what a Democrat is supposed to do. You can look it up. In Maryland, it wouldn't hurt Republicans to do the same.

WASHINGTON -- A battle over whether to raise the minimum wage is spilling into congressional races, with the Democratic Party promising to increase the wage as one of its first acts should it win control of Congress. Democrats have crafted a campaign message attacking Republicans for accepting annual cost-of-living increases while denying a raise to 6.6 million low-income workers, who have not seen a minimum wage increase in nine years. The fight heated up yesterday as the Senate rejected a proposal by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, to boost the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the next two years.

WASHINGTON -- Despite fierce objections from Republican leaders, the House voted yesterday to raise the federal minimum wage, boosting prospects that the legislation will become law this year.The 281-144 vote, to raise the wage by 90 cents over two years, marked the first time Democrats had pushed a major proposal of their own this far through the Republican-led Congress. Their victory included the rejection of a Republican amendment that would have enabled small businesses to avoid paying new employees the higher minimum wage.

WASHINGTON -- After weeks of false starts and partisan bickering, Senate leaders of both parties sealed a deal yesterday to vote on a minimum wage increase and some new tax breaks for small businesses.The agreement makes it likely that an increase in the minimum wage -- from $4.25 an hour to $5.15 an hour -- will become law.The deal also calls for a separate vote to make several labor law changes that have been opposed by President Clnton and the AFL-CIO. This means that if it passes on a party-line vote, Clinton is likely to veto it.The changes include a controversial Republican-backed measure giving employers the power to set up worker-management committees to decide terms and conditions of employment.

Raising the floor for wages helps business, labor It was disappointing to read that some businesses take a short-sighted view and oppose a minimum wage increase ("Minimum wage rise is OK'd by Md. Senate," April 7). This really should not be a worker vs. employer issue. We all benefit by having a stable work force that earns a decent wage for a hard day's work, just as we all benefit by having a thriving business community that provides quality jobs as well as goods and services for our residents.

The Maryland Senate approved a $1 per hour increase in the minimum wage yesterday, and prospects are strong for similar legislation in the House of Delegates - setting up a possible veto by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who sides with business groups in questioning the economic impact of the measure. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller announced this year that he would push for a $6.15 minimum wage rather than seek to override Ehrlich's veto of a bill passed last year guaranteeing higher pay for state contractors.