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Business Insider: The $7.25 minimum wage is 13 years old — inflation has made it worth less than it's been in decades

By Juliana Kaplan, Joseph Zeballos-Roig and Madison Hoff 
Business Insider, July 24, 2022

There comes a time when someone — or something — undergoes a big transition: Becoming a teenager.

For humans, it's often a time of celebration and change. But for policy, it means things haven't changed in a long time. And it's a milestone the $7.25 federal minimum wage just reached. ...

Many states and cities have taken matters into their own hands ... But 20 others still have their minimum wage at the federal rate.

One of those states is New Hampshire. "It's not feasible...

CNN: What the Fed and Madonna have in common

By Nicole Goodkind, CNN Business
CNN, July 24, 2022

...  July 24 marks 13 years since the last time the US federal minimum wage was raised, to $7.25 an hour. It's also the longest period without a raise since the federal minimum wage was enacted in 1938.

Even as historically high inflation rates have eroded the strength of US paychecks and headlines focus on the tight labor market, that $7.25 rate, which amounts to $15,080 a year for full-time work, remains firmly intact.

"Every day without a raise is another day the minimum wage falls further behind...

KYW Newsradio: Some Philly business owners join call for federal minimum wage increase

By Justin Udo
KYW Newsradio, Philadelphia, July 24, 2022

Sunday marks the 13th year since the last federal minimum wage increase, to $7.25 an hour. Since then multiple states, including New Jersey, have raised minimum wage rates to $13 dollars an hour or higher. However, twenty states, including Pennsylvania, have minimum hourly wages that are no higher than the current federal wage. ...

Some business owners in our region told KYW Newsradio they would like to see that rate go up, echoing calls nationwide for raising it to $15 an hour. ...

Scott Nash, founder and CEO of MOM's Organic Market...

Pennsylvania Capital Star: On anniversary of last minimum wage increase, advocates call for a raise

By Cassie Miller
Pennsylvania Capital Star, July 23, 2022. Also WFMZ-TV Pennsylvania, St. Joseph News Press (MO), Eastern Progress (KY), Longview News Journal (TX), KPVI (NBC) Idaho, other outlets

This Sunday marks 13 years since the federal minimum wage was last raised, the longest period in history without an increase.

The federal minimum wage was at its peak purchasing power in 1968, when the minimum wage was worth $13.86 in 2022 dollars, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Inflation Calculator.

“Every day without a raise is another day the minimum wage falls further behind the cost of living,” said Holly Sklar, CEO of Business for...

Nebraska Public Media: After 13 Years of the Federal Minimum Wage, Nebraskans are Aiming to Hike Their Own

By Will Bauer
Nebraska Public Media (PBS, NPR), July 22, 2022

Thirteen years after the federal government last raised the federal minimum wage, a ballot initiative in Nebraska aims to raise Nebraska’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026.

Petition organizers submitted nearly double the required number of signatures earlier this month to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office. The petition proposes gradually raising the minimum wage each year.

“I think Nebraska's graduated scale is fairly conservative and will be easy to hit,” said Mike Draper, who owns Raygun, a clothing and design store in Omaha. “And it's...

Associated Press (AP): A robust June jobs report clouds outlook for US economy

By Christopher Rugaber
Associated Press (AP), July 8, 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — A strong hiring report for June has assuaged fears that the U.S. economy might be on the cusp of a recession — and highlighted the resilience of the nation’s job market. ...

John Schall, the owner of a Boston-based Tex-Mex restaurant chain called El Jefe’s Taqueria, is enjoying strong sales growth and says he’s optimistic about his business. He plans to open his eighth restaurant next week in Pittsburgh. Schall has hired five managers there and will add up to 30 hourly workers.

Having opened...

CNBC: As states and cities raise minimum wage rates, some experts say a higher federal rate is long overdue

By Lorie Konish
CNBC, July 7, 2022

Workers earning minimum wage are getting an income boost in some parts of the U.S., thanks to new higher minimum pay rates that went into effect in July.

Connecticut, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, D.C., all had new higher minimum wages as of July 1. Those increases come as the federal minimum wage stands at $7.25 per hour, unchanged since 2009.

President Joe Biden has advocated for raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour for all workers. In January, an executive order he signed that raised the...

KETV ABC: Petition aims to put minimum wage increase for Nebraska on ballot in November

KETV, ABC 7 (Omaha), July 7, 2022

A petition submitted Thursday morning would put the issue of the minimum wage on the ballot in November. ... The proposed measure would gradually increase the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026.

One Lincoln business owner said this will help everyone.

"Fair wages make a business stronger, they also make our economy and our community stronger. A person working full-time for Nebraska's current $9 minimum wage earns just $18,700 a year. You cannot get by on that," Alma Ceretta said.

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