Why havent we had an increase in minimum wage since 1997?

because the companies and corporations are to cheap to pay people what they are really worth and when it is increased they will just move to mexico or south america. and to the first poster not everybody can make $20.00 an hour seems to me like you must be the loser cause you must not have a job to go to in the morning cause if you did you would still be in bed. as for me I am on disability

Poverty level

Did the person who said that crap realize that the Federal Government determined poverty level in ;07 for a family of 4 to be $20,000 GROSS (before taxes & insurance) and for an individual it is $6,500 GROSS

How many families of 4 do you know of that can make it (without government assistance) on $13,00 Net???

If you were a making even $10 per hour, where would you live & how would you pay medical co=payments & car payments & car insurance?????

ANd in most places Minimum was not raised

There are many, many dynamics to this........ if pay is increased then the cost of employment and the cost of goods/services will also increase.........are you willing to pay 3 times what you pay now for things you need like groceries???

Also, when the Feds raised minimum wage the last time, it caused the largest lay-off in history of Middle Income (@ 30,000 - @ 70,000) lower level management workers in this country

I agree with you - a LIVING WAGE IS PARAMOUNT

there is more than government - with what an average CEO makes, you could trim that by 10% & then pay the lowest wage earners 200% & still be able to support that change for at least 100 people (in a company with 500 employees) without negatively affecting Profit'Loss or share prices

We are not getting a raise in the minimum wage for the same reason the health care crisis has been shoved on the back burner. Employers want a cheap disposable work force so they can raise their profits. So many of the people I work with have advanced education and are forced to hold down 2 jobs to make ends meet. Our borders are intentionally being kept open for the slave labor illegals pouring in from Mexico. Mexico is not a poor nation, but their wealth is concentrated among the very elite, everyone else is left to scramble for the crumbs. Pensions are disappearing at an alarming rate or filing for bankruptcy. We are being ushered into a period of deconstruction in this country. Socially as well as economically

many states have done it on their own, the minimum wage should go up a little each year to compensate for inflation, it does here in Washington,Oregon, Alaska, and many other states, it hasn't made thousands of businesses to close or lay off workers. the big reason the min. wage doesn't go up each year is those who make the min. wage cant afford to make contributions, the businesses on the other hand can.

Minimum wage did just go up in January...where do you live???

but I agree...minimum is toooo minimum.

its the governments way of keeping the masses in-check.

why do u think that employers should be forced to pay a minimum wage???

No one is forced to accept a job...

life has no guarantees ; each individual must seek their own path with determination, and vigor...

Those that want stuff given to them simply because they "exist" will always complain that others get more and they are being left with little. (by the mean people who wont share).

The minimum wage causes unemployment and only 25% of the people that make minimum wage are below the poverty line. If you make minimum wage then your kinda of loser anyway( or young, immigrant, handicapped and that's okay)

I adding this: Companies pay their employees based on how much they value their work and the number of workers they need and how many are in the market.