Today the Whitehouse negotiated a tax break for employers to help them pay for the much-touted increase in wages that was cobbled onto the Iraq funding bill.
The chairman of the Ways and Means committee in the House of Representative, Democrat Charles Rangel, said the new measure would benefit employees and employers.
"This package will help millions of American workers better cope with the rising cost of living while helping our businesses expand and hire new workers to keep our local economies vibrant."
Note the keywords:
while helping our businesses expand
Now wait a minute....wasn't this supposed to help the minimum wage worker?
Instead it gives the tax break to employers who have minimum wage workers. What an incentive for business, lay off your just-above-minimum-wage workers, hire 'em back at the new minimum ($7.25 per hour...woo woo!) and get your tax break!
Of course, this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the 100+ billion they gave our head cheerleader today.
"This is a great day for America’s middle class," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. "America’s workers have been waiting for a raise for a long time."
Actually only half
More than two dozen states and the District of Columbia already have minimum wages higher than the federal level. Minimum wage workers are typically young, single and female and are often black or Hispanic.
And restaurants even less than half
According to the National Restaurant Association, the last minimum wage increase cost the restaurant industry more than 146,000 jobs and restaurant owners put off plans to hire an additional 106,000 employees
"A minimum wage increase will cost our industry jobs, and the vital discussion of how to minimize this job loss is getting lost in the debate," said Peter Kilgore, the group’s acting interim president and chief executive officer.
But here's the kicker, because Oregon has the highest minimum wage in the Country, they had to come up with a different incentive, like
The deal, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and other Western senators, would authorize about $2.8 billion to extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act through 2011.
Cheers!