The Democratic-led House passed a bill Thursday that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025, delivering a major, though mostly symbolic, victory to the Fight for $15 movement.
The bill was approved 231-199, mostly along party lines, with six Democrats and three Republicans crossing the aisle.
The measure would gradually hike the U.S. pay floor to $15 by 2025, then index further hikes to median wage growth. It would also phase out lower minimum wage paid to tipped workers.
That would be an understatement. Just a few years ago, Democrats were pursuing far more moderate minimum wage targets, on the order of $9, $10 and $12. But the union-backed campaigns in fast food and other low-paying fields succeeded in bringing national attention to workers’ struggles, making $15 a rallying cry and, eventually, a plank of the Democratic Party.
Here are the main pieces of the Raise the Wage Act:
It would increase the federal pay floor to $15 per hour by 2025, then index future increase to median wage gains.
The minimum wage hikes would take effect on the following schedule: $8.40 in 2019, $9.50 in 2020, $10.60 in 2021, $11.70 in 2022, $12.80 in 2023, $13.90 in 2024 and $15 in 2025.
It would eventually abolish the lower minimum wage for tipped workers.
The bill would eliminate a seldom-used pay floor for teen workers that pays them less than the minimum wage.
It would also toss out subminimum wages for workers with disabilities.
An amendment adopted Thursday, proposed by Rep. Tom O’Halleran, requires a Government Accountability Office report on the effects of minimum wage increases. House and Senate committees could use the report to recommend changes to curb any negative effects of the bill.
