Congressman Cleaver Backs the Raise the Wage Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II is helping lead the fight to give hardworking Americans a long-overdue wage increase by raising the federal minimum wage. Last week, Rep. Cleaver signed on as an original cosponsor of the Raise the Wage Act to raise the Federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $12.00 by 2020.  The bill, introduced in both the House and Senate, would also gradually eliminate the subminimum tipped wage system and index the Federal minimum wage to keep pace with the rising median wage.

"I am proud to stand with the hardworking Americans in my district, throughout Missouri and across the country to advocate for an increase in pay," Rep. Cleaver said. "We've said it before: no one who works full time should have to live in poverty. The Raise the Wage Act simply means that those who work hard would earn enough to get them above the poverty line. I firmly believe that there is no job an individual would not take if it would allow them to provide for their family and themselves."

In 2007, the Democratic-led Congress enacted a law phasing in an increase in the federal minimum wage to $7.25. Since the minimum wage reached $7.25 six years ago in 2009, the minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation, or the growth in the median wage, resulting in low-wage workers continuing to fall behind. In fact, the real value of today's minimum wage is less than it was in 1956.

Under the Raise the Wage Act, the federal minimum wage would start to rise almost immediately. Beginning January 2016, or three months after the date of enactment of the Raise the Wage Act, the federal minimum wage would increase by $0.75 to $8.00 per hour, followed by $1.00 per hour increases every year until it reaches $12.00. Starting in 2021, the Federal minimum wage would keep pace with rising wages overall through automatic annual increases to keep the ratio of the minimum wage constant with the median wage. 

"As we work to address increasing income inequality in this country, the minimum wage bill would help narrow the growing gap in wages," continued Congressman Cleaver.  "In Missouri, 756,000 workers stand to benefit from a raise in the wage, including 346,000 women and 91,000 working mothers. Money in the pockets of working families can mean more money spent in local stores and in our local economies."

Congressman Cleaver has pushed companies, including Wal-Mart and Target, among others, to raise their wages without waiting for Congressional action. Still, Rep. Cleaver has called on his colleagues across the aisle to join with Democrats and cosponsor the Raise the Wage Act. In the last Congress, Republicans voted eight times to block attempts to raise the wage over the two-year session, making the American people work harder for less.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.