Bush Backs Min Wage Hike

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Utah Lawmakers Not Off the Hook

(KCPW News) A boost in the federal minimum wage appears even more likely with news that President George W. Bush will support an increase to $7.25 over the next two years. Democrats in Congress say it's one of the first bills they will run when they take control in January.

But State Senator Ed Mayne still plans to push for a state increase - even if it's merely symbolic. He says Utah lawmakers - like Congress - have shirked their duty to raise the minimum wage over the last ten years and now deserve the chance to vote for it.

New data show only one percent of Utah workers earn the minimum $5.15 an hour, and the majority of those people are men in their early twenties. The data is unlikely to convince state legislators who have resisted raising the wage for fear it will drive up the cost of goods and leave less-skilled workers unemployed.

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