Congress Passes Fair Minimum Wage Act (5/25/07)

The Democrat-led U.S. Congress passed the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 Thursday, which would raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in almost a decade. The legislation, once enacted, will raise the current minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $5.85 an hour within 60 days of enactment and to $7.25 an hour within two years.

"A minimum wage raise is long overdue," said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. "Too many working people live in poverty. And while raising the minimum wage will make a difference in the lives of millions of workers, joining a union is still the best way for working people to earn fair pay on the job."
The increase was part of an Iraq War spending bill and received wide support in both the House and Senate. Previous attempts to raise the minimum wage had been stopped by Republican opposition. Republicans voted down a minimum wage increase nine times between 1997 and 2006.