Our readers may be interested in a couple new items about the minimum wage. First, this piece by Emily Badger discusses the difficulties faced by low-wage workers living in places where the cost of housing is high. Badger highlights a new report by the Naitonal Low Income Housing Coalition, which claims that
a minimum-wage worker in the District of Columbia — where the wage floor is currently $8.25 an hour — would need to work 137 hours a week to afford what the Department of Housing and Urban Development considers a fair market rent for a modest two-bedroom home. Put another way: A local household would need 3.4 full-time minimum-wage workers to afford such a home. Or, a single earner in that household would need to make a lot more money: $28.25 an hour to be exact.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Vice President Joe Biden (substituting for President Obama, who was out of country) urged congressional approval of the President's $10.10 per hour minimum-wage proposal in the White House's weekly radio address. (You can also watch VP Biden's address by clicking on the embedded video below.)
(HT to Roo on the Badger piece.)
