On Wednesday, the bid to raise the minimum wage hike to $10.10 an hour has been rejected by Republicans in the US Senate, The Los Angeles Times reported. The Republicans had long argued that the proposed rate hike would cost the US more jobs. The newspaper said the proposal was blocked by a GOP filibuster on a party-line vote at 54-42.
Republican Senator Mike Enzi of Wyoming defended the GOP's move, and said that working for minimum wage when he was young helped him to fulfill his ambition, which was owning a business. He said, "These are jobs where we learn to be dependable, to work with other employees and to learn that work ethic. (Today's workers often) don't know how to interrupt their texting to wait on a customer."
The GOP's argument was somewhat supported by a Congressional Budget Office report, which indicated that increasing the minimum wage could reduce employment in the US by about 500,000 workers. On the other hand, the report noted that many more would see an increase in their earnings. The LA Times said that studies have shown that around 20 million American workers and their families would nonetheless gain benefits should the minimum wage gets increased from the current $7.25 an hour. The proposal would see to it that the minimum wage will get increased to $8.20, and then again in $0.958 increments over a two=year spread until it reaches $10.10.
Before the midday vote, US President Barack Obama has used the proposal as a key tool for Democrats to gain voters amid a sputtering economy. The LA Times said that several states have already pushed forward with their own wage hikes as there is inaction from the US Congress.
"It's time for Republicans in Congress to listen to the majority of Americans who say it's time to give America a raise," the president said.
