STATEMENT BY SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY ON LONGEST MINIMUM WAGE STAGNATION IN HISTORY

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released the following statement: “Saturday marks the longest period in history that minimum wage workers have gone without a raise. For nearly a decade, the prices of everyday necessities like gas, food, and prescription drugs have skyrocketed, while the paychecks of minimum wage workers haven’t increased a cent. Year after year, the Republican Congress has blocked all attempts to raise the minimum wage, while voting a pay raise for themselves almost every year. If there’s one message from last month’s election that emerged loud and clear, it’s that no one who works for a living should have to live in poverty. The American people have spoken, and the new Congress will listen. When we convene in January, domestic priority number one will be to give minimum wage workers the long-overdue raises they deserve.” ###