New York Times Editorial - Will fair pay have its day?

New York Times Editorial - Will fair pay have its day?
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: November 15, 2006

At his first post-election news conference last week, President George W. Bush said that he believed he could find common ground with the new Congress on Democrats' longstanding drive to raise the minimum wage. That is welcome, but long overdue. The minimum wage has been stuck at a miserly $5.15 an hour since 1997, with Republican lawmakers blocking repeated attempts since then to raise it. Adjusted for inflation, the purchasing power of the wage has dropped to its lowest level since 1955.

America has 5.6 million minimum-wage workers. That's bad for the economy. Even Wal-Mart, not exactly an advocate for high wages, favors raising the minimum wage to support consumer spending.

A too-low minimum wage is also bad for society. One reason for having a minimum wage is to help ensure that even the lowest-paid workers do not fall irretrievably behind everyone else. Without a higher wage, that goal is increasingly out of reach.

Supporting a higher minimum wage would be a way for Bush to begin to rectify the inequality that has grown so alarmingly on his watch.