Democratic Leader Stephen Shurtleff of Penacook recently wrote to the Monitor arguing for a hike in the minimum wage:
We need to help hard-working Granite Staters who are trying to provide for their families on a sub-livable minimum wage by raising that floor. Currently, there are several House bills and one Senate bill that propose to reclaim a minimum wage for New Hampshire and provide for a moderate increase over a number of years. These increases address the loss in buying and living power of a stagnant, federal minimum wage, last adjusted in 2009 to $7.25 per hour, which translates to $15,080 for a full-time, year-round worker. If this minimum wage was adjusted just for inflation today, it would be more than $10.75 an hour. If the increase in workers’ productivity was then added to the equation, the resulting wage would be more than $20 per hour.
- In the 2011 legislative session, the Bill O’Brien-led House repealed our state minimum wage and deferred to the federal law. It’s time to take back local, state control of the minimum wage that sets a floor for hourly and tipped wages by making modest, gradual increases.
No longer does this federal standard reflect the current economy or values of our nation, New England region or state.
States are moving their own legislation to make a difference. As of the start of 2015, 29 states and the District of Columbia have raised their minimum wages above the federal level. Our New England neighbors, Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts, have all raised their minimum wages above the federal level. New Hampshire remains the lowest minimum wage in the region.
Who is the face of this minimum-wage worker? It’s statistically an adult over the age of 20 (88 percent) and a woman (55 percent). It is the single mother or an essential, second wage earner in a young family, or a senior living on Social Security. These workers are providing necessary income to the household for food, clothing, utilities and rent. Most of their income is spent on food and housing. The median cost of a two-bedroom rental in New Hampshire, according to the 2014 housing survey by New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, ranges from $710 a month in Coos County to $1,220 a month in Rockingham County. Working families struggle to make it to the end of the month on $290 per week and must rely on food, heating and housing subsidies. Any increase in the earnings for these workers, every dollar, will go directly into local businesses. More demand for goods and services locally means more local business growth and job growth.
It is not the small businesses or mom-and-pop stores that are paying these sub-livable wages. It is large, national chain stores and fast-food restaurants. While these companies keep wages low, their workers have to be subsidized by tax money in the form of assistance, such as food stamps and housing. Raising the minimum wage would mean less public assistance.
The time is now to stand up for working families. This week, the New Hampshire House will be voting on raising the minimum wage. We need you to call your legislator and make your voice heard. It’s time for New Hampshire to raise the minimum wage. It’s a matter of fairness and economic common sense.