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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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040389
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04038900.013
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1990-09-22
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BUSINESS, Page 51Business NotesMINIMUM WAGEHow Much Is Just Enough?
Congress and President Bush both agree that the $3.35-an-hour
minimum wage, which has not been raised since 1981, needs a boost.
But a conflict is brewing over just how far to hike it. Had the
wage kept pace with inflation, it would stand at $4.46 an hour
today. Bush has threatened to veto any bill that provides a base
rate of more than $4.25. Last week the House passed a measure that
would gradually increase the wage to $4.55 by 1992. The Senate,
scheduled to take up the issue next week, is unlikely to adopt a
rate any closer to Bush's limit. Edward Kennedy, chairman of the
Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, has sponsored a
proposal that would boost the rate to $4.65 an hour.
But a compromise may be possible. Democrats initially resisted
Bush's demand that employers be allowed to pay their newest
employees a subminimum, so-called training wage of $3.35 during
their first six months on the job. The House acquiesced but set a
two-month limit on the training wage. If the Senate extends the
subminimum to three months, Bush may decide to go along with a
higher rate than he originally proposed.