The Senate yesterday defeated two proposals to raise the minimum wage, in a test of muscle over what is
expected to be a yearlong struggle to increase an income floor that has gone unchanged for nine years.
A Democratic proposal to raise the hourly rate from $5.15 to $7.25 in three steps of 70 cents each over
the next 26 months failed, 49-46. A Republican proposal to increase it to $6.25 in two steps of 55 cents apiece over 18 months
also failed, 61-38.
The proposals came as amendments to legislation to overhaul the nation's bankruptcy laws, a priority bill
with financial institutions and credit-card companies.
On neither wage amendment did sponsors expect to win, because leaders of both parties had set a 60-vote
super majority threshold for passage. That unusual arrangement allowed both sides to get senators' votes on the record but
protected the underlying bankruptcy bill against delaying ploys.
The debate pitted a proposal by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D., Mass.) to raise the minimum wage by $2.10 against
an amendment by Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) that would raise it by $1.10. Santorum's proposal also would have exempted businesses
with revenues of less than $1 million. The current exemption level is $500,000.
Santorum also would have permitted workers and their employers to negotiate compensatory time over a two-week,
80-hour period rather than the current 40-hour workweek. Critics said that would deny hourly workers overtime pay.
"Americans are working harder than any other industrial nation in the world," Kennedy said. "They are producing
more but making less."
Santorum argued that Kennedy's plan would increase the minimum wage by 41 percent - a rate he said would
put a burden on employers and possibly cause inflation to skyrocket...
Indeed, Santorum discouraged senators from voting for either proposal, indicating that a forthcoming effort
to update welfare laws would be a better vehicle for the minimum wage.
"I would hope candidly that we didn't pass either of these at this time," he said...
"After nine years of going without an increase, Republicans are feeling the heat," said William Samuel,
a lobbyist for the AFL-CIO. "This is something people are increasingly bringing up in town-hall meetings."
Katherine Lugar, a lobbyist for the retail federation, predicted the minimum-wage debate would continue
at least into next year. "This issue is going to take a lot of twists and turns," she said. "It tends to get resolved in even-numbered
years" when members of Congress face reelection.
The Republicans' decision to allow a vote yesterday reflected their confidence that they would prevail.
The GOP majority maneuvered successfully in the last two years to block votes on the issue, when Democrats might have won.
How They Voted
Senators from the Philadelphia area voting for an amendment to raise the hourly minimum wage from $5.15
to $7.25 were Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D., Del.), Thomas Carper (D., Del.), Jon Corzine (D., N.J.) and Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.).
Voting against the amendment was Rick Santorum (R., Pa.).
Not voting was Arlen Specter (R., Pa.).
Voting for an amendment to increase the hourly minimum wage from $5.15 to 6.25 were Santorum and Specter.
Voting against the amendment were Biden, Carper, Corzine and Lautenberg.
