Poll finds strong support for raising the minimum wage

[Coyotl]

Dec 18, 2013 http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/18/1263597/-Poll-finds-strong-support-for-raising-the-minimum-wage?detail=email
Poll finds strong support for raising the minimum wage
by Laura ClawsonFollow for Daily Kos Labor

Raising the minimum wage continues to be extremely popular with the American public, even as Republicans in Congress continue to block it. A new Washington Post/ABC poll finds 66 percent overall support for increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25, with even 50 percent of Republicans on board.

Republicans support a lower wage floor than Democrats, when asked separately about their preferred dollar amount. On average, Democrats favor a minimum wage of just over $10, while Republicans want it to be about $8.60 an hour. Independents fall in between, supporting an average minimum wage of about $9.40 an hour. All three groups set their preferred minimum wage higher than the current $7.25, but far below a $15 wage sought by some worker advocates.

Of course, part of what said worker advocates are trying to do is push the discussion to make it easier for more people to envision a minimum wage that's truly a living wage .........

[msongs]

1. dear obama & dems, THIS is how you negotiate. set you target at $15 instead of starting at $7.26 nt

[Coyotl]

3. We did that in Oregon. First a $5 initiative petition drive, $4.75 in legislature, $4.65 goal

A few Republicans gave their support (to avoid another ballot measure drive, I suspect), and we did not have to lower the $4.75!

We did not garner enough signatures the first time out, but got the increase passed on the first try in the Legislature. This was back in 1988, the first ever anywhere initiative filed to raise the minimum wage---part of Oregon, U.S., and world history.

[Wounded Bear]

2. I live about 20 miles from Seatac, WA...

the town that passed a local $15 min. I find it kind of amusing. Concerves were kind of flabbergasted that people were apparently not buying their bullshit.

I agree that putting the $15 amount out there is a good tactic. It at least gets the conversation going. I fall into that "It should be around $10" crowd myself. That, at least, would counter some of the inflation that has eaten up America's pay the past couple of decades.

IAE, it needs to go up.....and soon.