[Sosfbay-discuss] 75th Anniversary of Federal Minimum Wage

[alexcathy at aol.com]

75th Anniversary of Federal Minimum Wage




















June 16, 1933 — President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National
Industrial Recovery Act (NRA) including the first federal minimum wage
— about 30 cents an hour. The
road to minimal wages and benefits for low-wage workers has always been
long and steep. To this day every proposal for minimal wages, living
wages, paid
sick days, or basic health and safety in the workplace is always
shouted down by whiny business interests as a "job killer" and
condemned as "class warfare."











As the distinguished journalist Bill Moyers recently put it:











"Truth is, there’s been a class war waged in America for thirty years
now from the top down, and the rich have won."














After 75 Years, the Working Poor Still Struggle for a Fair Wage


by Adam Cohen

The New York Times, June 17, 2008.








This week marks the 75th anniversary of the National Industrial
Recovery Act - which Roosevelt signed
June 16, 1933, at the end of his famous first 100 days - and of the
federal minimum wage. It was a grudging, almost accidental win, and the
road since then
has been rocky. Advocates for low-income workers have had a hard time
keeping the minimum wage at a reasonable level and passing other laws
necessary to
fulfill the original goal: ensuring that people who work hard can
achieve a reasonable standard of living.





When progressives set out to establish a national minimum wage, they
faced stiff opposition. Industry
insisted that government should not interfere with its relations with
its employees. Organized labor was also opposed. ("If you give them
something for
nothing," one labor leader objected, "they won’t join the union.") The
pro-business Supreme Court presented the biggest obstacle, ruling that
minimum
wages were unconstitutional.





The Depression provided an opening...








Last year, the new Democratic-controlled Congress raised the minimum wage
for the first time in 10 years to $7.25 an hour in 2009. A family earning the
2009 minimum wage in California would still be way below the poverty
line.











The Center for Community Economic Development has analysed the
cost-of-living by county for all the counties in California. The CFES Standard
is bare-bones and realistic. It is an accurate measurement of what it really
takes to make ends meet in today’s economy.












How
Much is Enough in Los Angeles County?











In Los Angeles, it takes $51,371/year for a single parent with two kids (one
pre-school, one school-age). That is $24.32/hour for a forty hour work week.











How Much is Enough in Santa Clara County?











In Santa Clara County (San Jose) in the San Francisco Bay Area, it takes $59,946/year for a single parent with two kids.





75 years and the struggle... 











Click to read More on:  

www.9to5california.org




















URL: 
http://9to5california.org/blog/75th-anniversary-of-federal-minimum-wage/








 

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