Letter: Minimum wage hike doesn't go far
Concerned workers demonstrate in Brentwood to increase the minimum wage. Credit: Chris Ware (2012)
I was astonished by the article about the Republican Party blocking a move by Democrats to raise the minimum wage for federal workers from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour in stages over 30 months ["Senate GOP halts minimum wage hike," News, May 1].
I understand the need to help low-income workers, but can a person realistically be expected to support a family on even $10.10 an hour? That's $20,808 a year. A Long Islander couldn't support a family with two of those jobs.
If we really want to help low-income workers, we need much more creative thinking from elected officials -- on both sides of the aisle -- to get more of our citizens above the poverty line. That assumes, of course, that our representatives in Washington really care about eliminating poverty.
Mike Bergen, West Babylon
