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Economics

Bureau of Labor Education

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Minimum wage

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The Minimum Wage: Two Generations Of Neglect Add Up, Bureau Of Labor Education. University Of Maine Jan 2010

The Minimum Wage: Two Generations Of Neglect Add Up, Bureau Of Labor Education. University Of Maine

Bureau of Labor Education

Although a three-step raise in the Federal minimum wage that ended in July, 2009 is projected to generate a total of $10.4 billion in increased consumer spending,2 a survey of the wage situation in the U.S. today suggests that recent raises to the minimum wage are inadequate. Both Maine and the nation have been plagued by serious wage stagnation for many years. The overextended credit that helped fuel the recent economic crisis was exacerbated by what has been called a “collapse of hourly wage growth” by the Economic Policy Institute. In the longer term, the inflation-adjusted value of the minimum …


The Minimum Wage: Issues To Consider, 1999 Update, Bureau Of Labor Education. University Of Maine Jan 1999

The Minimum Wage: Issues To Consider, 1999 Update, Bureau Of Labor Education. University Of Maine

Bureau of Labor Education

The current minimum wage of $5.15 is clearly inadequate to support any family — only a oneperson household can stay above the federal poverty guidelines on a full-time minimum wage job. The minimum wage will continue to decline in its real value, putting individuals, families and especially children at growing risk of poverty. This economic hardship is heightened by the fact that many of the new jobs being created in the U.S. economy are low-wage service jobs, often without benefits. With a growing consensus that a minimum wage increase is not likely to harm employment, there is overwhelming evidence that …