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Washington, DC  Today Marian Wright Edelman joined Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Congressman George Miller (D-CA) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in releasing a new report, Increasing the Minimum Wage: An Issue of Children's Well-Being, compiled by the Children's Defense Fund. The report shows that 7.2 million children would directly benefit if the minimum wage were raised to $7.00 per hour. Senator Kennedy and Congressman Miller have introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage to that level.

Marian Wright Edelman, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Representative George Miller (D-CA) show support for an increase in the minimum wage.

Working full-time every week at the current minimum wage of $5.15 per hour, a parent supporting two children struggles far below the poverty line of $14,824 per year. The pernicious sting of poverty puts these children at greater risk of poor health due to lack of affordable health care, increases their likelihood of falling behind in school and leaves families unable to pay for adequate housing, nutritious food or quality child care. The report shows that increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.00 per hour for full-time, year-round workers would add $3,800 to their annual income—enough for a low-income family of three to afford almost five months of housing, almost nine months of child care or transportation, or pay for more than two years of health care for their children.

Senator Kennedy points out the widening gap between the poverty line and full-time minimum wage income.

"Too many Americans are working full-time and still cannot provide the basics for their families. For seven years Congress has allowed the wages of America's workers to stagnate while increasing their own salaries by more than $20,000," said Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President of CDF. "As a result, millions of low-income, hard-working families have seen their efforts to escape poverty become ever more hopeless. It is long past time for Congress and President Bush to raise the minimum wage and ensure that growth in America's economy improves the lives of all our families, not just the privileged."

Marian Wright Edelman shares the findings of CDF's latest report, "Increasing the Minimum Wage: An Issue of Children's Well-Being."

An increase in the minimum wage would also overwhelmingly assist women and minorities. According to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, 61 percent of workers directly affected by an increase would be women, although they make up only 48 percent of the total workforce. Moreover, 15 percent of African Americans and 19 percent of Latinos in the workforce would be directly affected by a minimum wage increase, although they make up only 11 percent and 13 percent of the total workforce, respectively.

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Full Report:

• Increasing the Minimum Wage: An Issue of Children's Well-Being
  July 8, 2004 (Adobe PDF : 4 pages : 200 KB)

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The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds.