Making a living.

The federal minimum wage was last raised in 1997 to its current level of $5.15 an hour. There are now 20 states that have raised the minimum wage above the federal level. Nevada will put the question to its voters this fall, and the minimum wage issue could be a significant factor in a number of gubernatorial gu·ber·na·to·ri·al
adj.
Of or relating to a governor.

[From Latin gubern races. What will it take to make work "work" for the majority of Americans?

* 83 percent of Americans favor raising the federal minimum wage to $7.15.

* 10 states have raised the minimum wage $2 or more above the federal level.

* 76 percent of those earning a household income of $75,000 or more favor raising the minimum wage by $2.

* 119,157 is the federal poverty level for a family of two adults and two children.

* $9 to $9.50 an hour, for 40 hours a week, is the wage needed for a single adult (supporting another adult and two children) to reach the federal poverty level.

* $8,300 an hour was the wage for the CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Halliburton in 2005.

Sources: "Wages, Gay Marriage Could Tilt "06 Ballot," by Mark K Matthews (www.stateline.org); "Maximum Support for Raising the Minimum" (Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center is a "fact tank" based in Washington, D.C., that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the USA and the world. The Center and its projects receive funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts. for the People and the Press); "$13,700 an Hour," by Katrina Vanden Heuvel Katrina vanden Heuvel (born October 7 1959) is the editor, part-owner, and publisher of the liberal magazine The Nation. She has been the magazine's editor since 1995 and a frequent guest on numerous television programs. Vanden Heuvel is a self described liberal. (The Nation); U.S. Census Bureau Noun 1. Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States
Bureau of the Census 2005 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Sojourners
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.

Reader Opinion

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Title Annotation:	minimum wage increased
Publication:	Sojourners
Article Type:	Brief article
Geographic Code:	1USA
Date:	Jul 1, 2006
Words:	230
Previous Article:	Tax relief for whom?(bill passed by United States. Congress)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
Next Article:	Will the desert bloom?(vegetable gardening in Afghanistan by widows)(Brief article)
Topics:	Americans Economic aspects Minimum wage Forecasts and trends Laws, regulations and rules Wages Forecasts and trends Laws, regulations and rules Minimum wage

Related Articles
Minimum wage wars.(STATESTATS)
Pay up.(THE LABJ Online Journal)(california minimum wage )(Brief Article)
Multiple minimums: Congress hasn't raised the federal minimum wage in years, but many states are increasing theirs.(NATIONAL)
Raising the minimum wage.(GRAPH: NATIONAL)
Revival of commission could help raise minimum wage.(Industrial Welfare Commission)
Increasing unemployment with minimum effort.
Wage bill serves up outrage.(Working)(Legislation that would increase the federal minimum could possibly cut the pay of some Oregon workers)
Employers wage war against minimum indexing.
Maximizing the minimum: a job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it.(Minimum Wage)
The stakes of raising the federal minimum wage: with the 110th Congress poised to increase the federal minimum wage, the apartment industry readies...