Independent Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders introduced legislation on Thursday to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour. File Photo by Shawn Thew/ UPI |
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May 4 (UPI) -- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced legislation Thursday to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour.
Sanders made the announcement outside the U.S. Capitol where he was flanked by AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry, and Economic Policy Institute President Heidi Shierholz.
"In the year 2023 in the richest country in the history of the world, nobody should be forced to work for starvation wages," Sanders said. "It's not a radical idea. If you work 40, 50 hours a week, you should not be living in poverty. It is time to raise the minimum wage to a living wage."
Sanders, who chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said that he would prepare the legislation for a floor vote next month.
The Independent Senator said that around 35 million Americans still earn less than $17 an hour.
While the push for a higher minimum wage has not yet broken through at the federal level, many states have already begun to give workers a raise. Even Republican-led Florida voted to increase the state's minimum wage to $15 by 2026.
Many large employers like Walmart, Costco, Amazon, Target and Chipotle, have also raised their wages following protests.
"I think all over this country, you're seeing states on their own voting to raise the minimum wage," Sanders said. "We have not raised the minimum wage here in Congress."