Posted on 09/05/2006 3:35:31 AM PDT by shrinkermd
WASHINGTON -- As Congress returns to work after Labor Day, Republicans face a burning question: whether to try again to pass a minimum-wage increase, or risk facing voters in November without having done so.
Some Republican lawmakers, particularly those facing tough re-election fights, want another chance to back an increase from the current $5.15 an hour, a move that would deprive Democrats of a major campaign talking point. "After 10 years, good grief, it's not like we're increasing it in a way that would cause unemployment," says Rep. Chris Shays, a Connecticut Republican locked in a close race. "I think it should be passed under our watch."
But other Republicans hate the idea and are unlikely to support such a move or would do so only with big sweeteners for their business base. The House passed a minimum-wage increase in July, but the measure failed in the Senate because it was paired with a cut in the estate tax that Democrats opposed. Many legislators argue that vote should be enough, at least politically, to show voters they tried...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Outside of the government this area is not very unionized, and this change will have no effect on government wage rates.
Minimum wage, another marxist scam be foisted by government on what in theory is a Constitution "free market" Republic !!!
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