Before the Labor Day holiday celebrating the achievements of American workers, a new poll found that 71% of Americans support raising the federal minimum wage.
According to a CBS News/YouGov Survey Data released on Sunday showed that more than seven in ten Americans said they believe the current federal minimum wage should be higher than $7.25 per hour.
For those with an annual income of less than US$50,000, the support rate for raising the minimum wage is as high as 74%. Among those with an annual income of US$50,000-100,000 and those with an income of more than US$100,000, this figure dropped slightly to 68% and 67%, respectively.
However, the survey found that different parties reacted differently.
Generally speaking, the vast majority Democratic Party – Or 85% – think that the minimum wage should be raised, while only 52% Republicans Say the same. Among those who call themselves liberals, 90% agree that wages should be higher, while less than half of those who call themselves conservatives agree. At the same time, 77% of moderates and 72% of independents said that federal wages should be higher.
The poll was conducted from August 10 to 16, and the sample included 1,566 American adults. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
The current federal minimum wage is US$7.25, which was set in 2009 and has not been increased since.according to Data compiled by the Labour Department It was announced earlier this summer that about 250,000 people (0.5% of the U.S. labor force) received the salary in 2020.
Separate report A report issued by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) in July found that the real income of these workers was 21% lower than their peers 12 years ago, because the current wage of $7.25 has lost most of its value due to inflation.
The report found that the value of the minimum wage in 2009 is equivalent to today’s $9.17 per hour. According to EPI data, the federal minimum wage peaked in 1986 and is worth 11.12 US dollars in today’s US dollars.
“This is a very remarkable discovery. More than 50 years ago, the wages we paid to the lowest-paid workers in this economy were much higher than the wages we paid to them today,” EPI economist Ben Zipperer said previously. Weekly newspaper.
A study by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition concluded that no state, county, or city in the United States can afford a two-bedroom rent for a minimum-wage employee who works 40 hours a week. The analysis also found that in all counties across the country, only 7% of full-time employees can afford one-bedroom rental units.
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In order to solve the problems related to the minimum wage, the proposal to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour, especially among Democrats, has received increasing attention in recent years. Dozens of places in the U.S.. , Include 10 states, Legislation has been passed to implement the measure-at the same time More and more companies Include Amazon with Costco They have increased their salary to at least $15.
President Joe Biden Earlier this year, an attempt was made to double federal wages and include them in the US$1.9 trillion US rescue plan, but the clause was Senate Congressman.
Biden wrote in the Labor Day announcement before the weekend: “I believe that every worker should not only receive fair wages and benefits, but also enjoy freedom from discrimination, a safe and healthy workplace, and the benefits of safe retirement. Respect.”.
“Although we have made tremendous progress in advancing labor protection and strengthening the voice of workers in the workplace, we still have a lot of work to do,” he added.
