Third Congressional District Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has introduced bipartisan legislation to tie the federal minimum wage to a region’s cost of living.
On Tuesday, Gluesenkamp Perez and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pennsylvania, introduced the Fair Wage Act. They argue the regional approach would ensure that workers throughout the country can make a living.
“As working families feel the pain of rising costs, it’s becoming harder to make ends meet by working a full-time job. Wages just aren’t keeping pace with inflation in some communities. My husband and I own an auto repair and machine shop, and we know without living wages people exit the trades early in their career. It’s essential that jobs in the trades remain a pathway to the middle class,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “I’m grateful for Congressman Fitzpatrick’s partnership on this bipartisan solution to make sure the minimum wage reflects economic realities on the ground across Southwest Washington. By taking a dynamic and regional approach that accounts for the cost of living, the Fair Wage Act will help ensure the minimum wage is tailored to families’ needs.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, though 30 states and the District of Columbia have set higher minimum wages in their respective states. The current minimum wage in Washington state is $15.74 an hour, which will increase to $16.28 an hour on Jan. 1.
“Our nation’s workers deserve a fair wage that accounts for varying, regional cost-of-living rates,” Fitzpatrick said. “While others pursue partisan and unrealistic measures to address the broken minimum wage standard, I am proud to introduce the bipartisan Fair Wage Act with Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez. Our legislation recognizes that the federal minimum wage in my home of Levittown has a disparate impact than it does in Los Angeles or Little Rock. We must ensure that when it comes to the minimum wage, Americans can rely on being compensated appropriately based on where they work, live, raise their families, and pay taxes.”
