NRF Urges Senate to Reject Minimum-Wage Increase Amendment

Washington, The National Retail Federation (NRF) today encouraged the Senate to reject an amendment that would raise the federal hourly minimum wage to $7.25 in three steps over 26 months. It would be an increase of $2.10, or 41%, over the current $5.15 minimum. The amendment, which the Senate will vote on today, would add a minimum wage increase to S 256, the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005.

Steve Pfister, NRF senior VP for Government Relations, said, “Not only would the increase proposed by Senator Kennedy represent an unprecedented and extreme hike in the entry-level wage, it also would serve as a poison bill to the bankruptcy bill, which has been a long-standing priority of the retail industry.”