'Equality gap' cited in need for minimum wage increase - Republicans Against Raising Poverty Wages
Keisha Coley has worked minimum wage jobs before, struggling to make ends meet at $5.15 an hour. Ms. Coley, a manager at Church's Chicken, 2124 Franklin Ave., said when she got a raise, it motivated her to work harder and produce. She said the National Urban League's push to increase the federal minimum wage will help the pocketbooks and productivity of workers like herself. The Urban League called for a minimum wage increase to $7.25 and other initiatives this week to help close what they call an "equality gap" between blacks and whites. Ms. Coley said an increase in the minimum wage would help poor blacks and other underpaid people be more productive and become more a part of their communities. "I think [an increase] would help a lot," said Ms. Coley, who is married with two daughters and a stepdaughter. "You have bills to pay, and a minimum wage just doesn't make it. When I received my raise, I had a whole new attitude - and I've seen that in other workers." An effort in Congress to increase the minimum wage last month failed. Many Republicans have said an increase in the minimum wage would force business owners to cut jobs and hurt small businesses. [more]