Full COVID recovery requires raising the minimum wage
Without aggressive action to counter the blow, the coronavirus recession will further increase inequality—a problem that had reached crisis levels before the pandemic even began. Economic impact payments—checks—will help, but they are not enough to truly set us on a path to an equitable recovery. For that, we need more targeted measures.
One key action is long overdue—raising the federal minimum wage.
The Raise the Wage Act, recently introduced by Representative Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), would gradually increase the minimum wage in five steps to $15 per hour in 2025. This would generate $107 billion in higher wages for working people, benefiting 32 million workers, their families and their communities.
Nearly one-third (31 percent) of Black workers, more than one-quarter (26 percent) of Hispanic workers and 26 percent of women would get a raise. Further, essential and front-line workers make up a majority of those who would benefit.
