Democrats Mark New Minimum Wage Law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2007
Contact: Eric Fought
(402) 434-2184
eric@nebraskademocrats.org
Democrats Mark New Minimum Wage Law
LINCOLN, Neb. – Starting today, tens of thousands of Nebraskans will get a hard-earned raise because Democrats in Washington kept their promise to America’s working families. During the 2006 elections, Democrats pledged to pass the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade. Democrats kept that promise, voting to increase the minimum wage despite intense obstructionism from Republicans like Congressmen Jeff Fortenberry, Lee Terry and Adrian Smith.
Over the next two years, nearly 13 million American workers will benefit from increasing the minimum wage to $7.25, including 136,000 people in the Cornhusker State. [Economic Policy Institute, June 2006; CBPP, 8/2/06] While our entire Republican House delegation joined the rest of the Bush Republicans in putting their special interest friends ahead of the American people by trying to block a minimum wage hike, Democrats delivered on our promise.
“Today’s minimum wage increase is an important reminder that the Democratic Party is truly the Party that respects and honors America’s working families,” said Steve Achelpohl, Nebraska Democratic Party State Chair. “Even with Republicans like Fortenberry, Terry and Smith trying to block it every step of the way, Democrats like Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson kept their promise and gave thousands of hard-working Nebraskans a long-overdue raise. Too many of our hard working families have to work too hard just to make ends meet, a reality that Republicans in Washington refused to confront for six long years. This milestone is more proof that Democrats have done more for working families in six months than the Bush Republicans did in six years.”