Issue Position: Raising the Minimum Wage

Issue Position

"Hardworking Americans shouldn't have to struggle so much to make ends meet. We must raise the minimum wage and we must do it now." -- Stanley Chang

An estimated 8 million Americans live below the poverty line. These Americans go to work every day and work full-time to support their families. Yet, despite the tiring hours of work, most continue to struggle to provide basic necessities for themselves and their families.

Raising the minimum wage is not a proposal that we can continue to let sit idle on the desks of lawmakers -- it's a needed reality. Raising the minimum wage is essential to reducing inequality, lifting hardworking Americans out of poverty, and breaking their reliance on government assistance.

I am strongly committed to and in firm support of President Obama's plan to increase the Federal minimum wage to $10.10 over three years and index it to inflation. Such an increase would help to reverse the ever-growing income inequality gap and strengthen the economy by boosting income, which thereby increases consumer spending.

An increase to $10.10 by July 1, 2015 would affect nearly 30 million workers nationwide who would receive over $51 billion in additional wages over this period. Here in Hawaii, an increase like this would reach an estimated 71,000 workers, with a direct increase in wages of roughly $174 million.

Current federal minimum wage levels are set at $7.25 per hour. An employee working full-time at this rate of pay will make roughly $15,080.00 a year. With consumer spending fueling over 70 percent of the economy and a sharp increase in demand over the past several years, our nation's low-level wages are simply inexcusable. I am strongly committed to seeing that every American is afforded equal rights to thrive in this economy.

Put simply, America's current minimum wage does not allow the average family to reach the lowest level of adequate living standards. In fact, over the past 45 years, despite the expanding economy and increase in productivity, minimum-wage levels have remained relatively stagnate, ultimately preventing minimum-wage workers from keeping pace with the growing economy. As such, I strongly support national efforts to raising the minimum wage and rewarding millions of Americans for their hard work, without adding to state and federal budget deficits.

Increasing the minimum wage has several benefits, all of which I am in strong favor. A raise in wages would increase earnings, reduce poverty, and increase productivity, all while fueling the economy and ensuring that no jobs are lost throughout the process.

By boosting pay for low-wage workers, we can restore the consumer spending that fuels local businesses and powers our economy. As such, I am committed to ensuring we take every measure to close this income disparity and reward millions of Americans for their hard work.

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