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ABOUT USThe Minnesota Budget Project is an initiative of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
Minimum Wage Resource PageThe value of the federal minimum wage has eroded significantly during the past twenty years. Even after increases in the 1990’s, the value of the minimum wage is still 24% lower than in 1979. To have the same buying power as in the 1970's, the minimum wage would need to be $6.80 an hour, rather than $5.15 an hour as it is today. Minimum wage jobs are a critical source of income for low-income families. Contrary to popular belief, more than two-thirds of minimum wage workers are adults, not teenagers; minimum wage workers contribute an average of 54% of their household’s earnings. The decline of the minimum wage means that minimum wage workers are no longer able to lift their families out of poverty. We have compiled a list of valuable resources you can use to become further informed on the minimum wage
debate.
Fact sheetsFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Minimum Wage, Economic Policy InstituteContents include how the minimum wage is determined, which workers are covered by the minimum wage, and which states have minimum wages higher than the federal minimum wage. Questions and Answers about the Minimum Wage, U.S. Department of Labor Provides a historical background to changes in the minimum wage, how the minimum wage laws are enforced, and whether a state law can require a different minimum wage from the federal. Minimum Wage Facts at a Glance, Economic Policy Institute Includes statistics on the number of minimum wage workers, the characteristics of workers who will benefit from a minimum wage increase, and the lack of significant evidence of any job loss. EPI Issue Guide: Minimum Wage contains fact sheets, tables and charts, and key EPI publications on the minimum wage, as well as links to other minimum wage resources. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy.
Minimum Wage Legislative AnalysisStep Up, Not Out: The case for raising the federal minimum wage for workers in every state, Economic Policy Institute, February 2001 This analysis shows that 9.9% of the U.S. workforce would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to $6.65. Adults, women, and racial minorities would be disproportionately helped by such an increase. This brief also argues against allowing states from "opting out" of any increase in the federal minimum wage. 91,120 Minnesota Workers Would Get A Raise Under Proposed Federal Minimum Wage Hike, Minnesota Budget Project, February 2001. An overview of which Minnesotans would benefit from a minimum wage increase. The Next Step: The New Minimum Wage Proposal and the Old Opposition, Economic Policy Institute, March 2000 Examines the characteristics of workers who would be affected by the new minimum wage proposal, and argues job losses among low-wage workers will be either small or non-existent.
Key ReportsCalifornia's Recent Minimum Wage Increase: Real Wage Gains with No Loss of Jobs, California Budget Project, June 2000 Argues that the recent minimum wage increase in California to $5.75 an hour has increased the earnings of workers at the bottom level of income distribution without undermining job growth. Out of Reach: The Gap between Housing Costs and Income of Poor People in the United States, National Low Income Housing Coalition, September 1999 Includes calculations on the number of hours minimum wage workers would have to work in order to rent affordable housing in the county where they live. The Minimum Wage Increase: A Working Woman's Issue, Economic Policy Institute and Institute for Women's Policy Research, September 1999 Indicates that the beneficiaries of a $1.00 increase in the federal minimum wage would be primarily working women, including one million single mothers. The Effects of the Minimum Wage Increase on the Restaurant Industry, Oregon Center for Public Policy, March 1999 Examines the impact of recent increases in Oregon's minimum wage to $6.50 an hour on the restaurant industry, and debunks assumptions that the increase in the minimum wage would harm the low wage workers who are the intended beneficiaries of the increase. New Findings from Oregon Suggest Minimum Wage Increases Can Boost Wages for Welfare Recipients Moving to Work, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, May 1998 Argues that Oregon’s minimum wage, which was raised to $6.50 an hour in January 1999, continues to raise wages for former welfare recipients and other low-wage workers without harming employment opportunities. Making Work Pay: The Impact of the 1996-97 Minimum Wage Increase, Economic Policy Institute, 1998 Analyzes the impact of the 1996-1997 minimum wage increases on the employment opportunities, wages, and incomes of low-wage workers and their households. Updated March 6, 2001 |
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