Minimum wage discussion goes back to FDR
Dear Editor:
In 1938, FDR passed a bill establishing a minimum wage of 25 cents.
And in 1953, I received 75 cents as minimum wage. Wow! FDR did so many great things for working people it is amazing…
One was appointing the first woman to the cabinet [in 1933 — Frances Perkins as Secretary of the Dept. of Labor]. And later, the first JEW in the cabinet in a land full of bigots like Henry Ford, William Randolph Hearst, etc.
Frances said she would only take the job if she could pass child labor laws. Wow, for that time period. Today, in many countries, they still employ young children.
Currently, we want to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $9.00. That is what our President wants to do to help the working poor.
If you think $7.25 is a fair wage, try living on it. In a land of corporate greed, CEO retired from McKesson, Mr. Hammergren, gets the highest pension on record at $159 million. And, the other day, a CEO who bombed out received $90 million.
Yet, working on minimum wage means barely paying for food, shelter, etc., and often being on food stamps and Medicaid.
Whenever this comes up, many lies are told: 1. Increase is still small due to inflation, and won’t make people rich. 2. Increase would go back into the economy for basics not overseas into tax shelters. 3. Many small businesses already pay more than minimum and would increase everyone a slight amount. That would help the economy as money would be spent quickly, not stored in Swiss banks. 4. Businesses would not go out of business — Walmart in Canada pays more than workers here, and still makes record profits. 5. Many small businesses want their workers to make more and spend more. 6. With unions weakened today, many companies try to screw workers calling them contractors, refusing to give them health benefits, and cheating them on overtime, as stated in the book Wage Theft.
Thank God FDR appointed the first great woman to the cabinet — and had Sam Rayburn as Speaker of the House. He makes the present speaker look like a fool.
Marty Weisberg
Coral Springs
