'We’re all kind of in the $10 range, virtually all of us,' said Dick Durbin. Dems begin minimum-wage push

Shortly after passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Senate Democrats immediately turned their attention to raising the minimum wage.

Senate Democratic leadership is weighing when to consider a bill that would raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to as much as $10.10 per hour. Democrats may act during the current work period that ends before the Thanksgiving break.


In a closed-door party lunch on Thursday, senators and aides said outside economists gave Democrats a presentation explaining that wages have not kept pace with inflation since 1968, when the $1.60 federal minimum wage represented 54 percent of Americans’ average hourly earnings, according to the Congressional Research Service. That percentage has steadily decreased ever since, and leadership is itching to raise the minimum wage as soon as it can. The caucus was overwhelmingly supportive of the goal, senators said following the lunch.

But it will be a difficult lift to find five Senate Republicans to join Democrats in support a wage hike, which will need 60 votes to break a likely GOP filibuster.

Senate Republicans are likely to propose alternatives methods aimed at job creation to counter the wage proposals, but those talks are just beginning GOP aides said.

But Democrats haven’t settled on a precise wage hike they’re seeking. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has a bill that would raise the wage in steps to $10.10 an hour, increase the long-frozen wage for tipped workers and eventually index the minimum wage to inflation — which would keep Congress from having to constantly revisit the issue. But that would also put wages on autopilot and raise concerns among the GOP.

Congress last approved a minimum wage increase in 2007, a bill signed into law by George W. Bush. That bill passed the Senate 94-3 and also included tax cuts for small businesses. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) was the lone senator to oppose that bill that is still serving in the Senate.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the caucus is trying to get on the same page with President Barack Obama, who called for a wage hike to $9 per hour during the State of the Union address.

“We’re all kind of in the $10 range, virtually all of us,” Durbin said after the briefing. “The explanation here suggested that [Obama] would be very supportive of $10.”

It’s unclear whether Democrats will united begind Harkin’s proposal, but it’s likely to serve as a starting point, given that it enjoys wide support in the caucus, particularly among progressives.

“The Harkin bill makes sense — I think there’s great consensus in the caucus [for] moving it,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “I’m optimistic we can move it, I think it puts pressure on the House to do the right thing.”

Indeed, a wide spectrum of Democrats expressed support for putting the issue on the Senate floor. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), perhaps the most conservative Senate Democrat, called the issue “worthy of looking at” and expressed concern with how wage disparities between the upper and lower classes have “hurt people.” Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said “there’s a desperate need to raise the minimum wage.”

The timing of the bill also remains up in the air — a key consideration given how the legislation could affect electoral politics during the runup to the 2014 elections.

Asked if the Democrats are serious about raising the rate rather than doing messaging, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) responded: “Yes we are. But we have to recognize that the other party is not serious.”

Manu Raju contributed to this report.