In The News: Unions Cheer Minimum Wage Hike

CWA members and hundreds of other union activists joined with U.S. House and Senate leaders on Capitol Hill in July to celebrate the first raise in the minimum wage in more than 10 years — a victory that lawmakers and social justice leaders said wouldn't have been possible without labor's determination and hard work.

"For 10 years people working at some of the most difficult, dirtiest jobs in America were told 'You have to work for a poverty wage,'" Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) said. "We had the votes to raise the minimum wage but the GOP leadership wouldn't bring it to the floor. Thank you for sending a message to Washington."

The hourly minimum wage had been $5.15 an hour for a decade until going up by 70 cents, to $5.85 on July 24. Two more increases will bring it to $7.25 an hour by mid-2009. However, Miller said he and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) intend to introduce legislation to raise it higher, to $9.50 an hour.