Fast-food workers and supporters fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. James Leynse | Corbis Historical | Getty Images

Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday to gradually raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, a long-shot plan that comes as the party tries to bill itself as a champion of the working class. The proposal to hike the U.S. wage floor from the current $7.25 will likely fail in the GOP-held Senate even if it gets through the Democratic-controlled House. However, the new House Democratic majority sees the measure as a message that it wants to lift low-wage workers and boost the economy — and an effort to focus on its policy priorities amid the longest government shutdown ever.

The Raise the Wage Act, backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and several declared or prospective 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, would hike the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024 through annual increases. It would also end provisions that in some cases allow employers to pay workers under age 20 and employees with disabilities less than the wage floor. House Democrats introduced the legislation Wednesday with 181 co-sponsors. A companion measure in the Senate has 31 Democratic co-sponsors, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. At a news conference Wednesday where Democrats touted the bill, the senator called $7.25 per hour a "starvation wage." The bill will spark opposition within the business community, which largely aligns with Republicans on wage issues. Democrats say the proposal will put more money in the pockets of tens of millions — particularly women and workers of color — and boost the economy through their increased spending power. But powerful business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce argue a $15 per hour U.S. wage will burden small-business owners, force cuts to workers' hours and hamper companies in areas where living expenses are relatively low.

The push for a higher federal floor comes as numerous states and localities hike their minimum wages — even in red states such as Arkansas and Missouri. Fast-food workers and groups such as Fight for $15 spearheaded advocacy for a $15 per hour minimum wage around the country. The U.S. base pay last rose in 2009. Labor activists argue pay has failed to keep up with the cost of living: the U.S. minimum wage hit its high in 1968 at $11.83 per hour in 2018 dollars, and has not approached that level in decades. "Raising the minimum wage is not only good for workers, it is good for businesses, and good for the economy. When we put money in the pockets of American workers, they will spend that money in their communities. This bill is a stimulus for Main Street America," Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat who's a co-sponsor of the bill and chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said in a statement Wednesday. The Democratic plan would index the pay floor to median wage growth after it rises to $15 per hour in 2024 to ensure it does not lag again. Lawmakers cite research from the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute saying a $15 minimum wage would boost pay for about 40 million people. Democrats have cast themselves as better for working Americans than President Donald Trump and the GOP, and the minimum wage bill, along with efforts to support unions, equal pay for women and family and medical leave, fit into the strategy. They see the message as a winning one ahead of the 2020 elections.