Several Democratic senators have signaled they do not support Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont’s proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $17 within five years.
New Hampshire’s minimum wage is $7.25 and has been for a very long time. New Hampshire has also had a higher average rate of starting pay, a stronger labor force, and a better economy.
Vermont’s hourly minimum wage rate increased again in 2023, following a trend that has been taking place within the state in recent years from legislation.
Vermonters will see the minimum wage rise to $13.18 per hour. This is a 63-cent scheduled increase over the $12.55 per hour 2022 rate.
The Vermont Department of Labor has announced an increase to the State’s minimum wage. Beginning January 1, 2023, the State’s minimum wage will become $13.18 per hour. This is an increase of $0.63 from the current minimum wage of $12.55.
Recent studies show that even workers who keep their jobs and receive higher wages can be made worse off through other changes to employment caused by minimum wage laws. That’s because wages aren’t the sum total of workers’ compensation.
Vermont’s Progressives are very fond of minimum wage laws, but as with many economic initiatives that yield unintended consequences, government control of wages is not as simple as “let’s help the little guy.”
Federal mandating of higher hourly pay rates places the burden of fighting poverty on the employers of the low-wage workers and the customers of low-wage businesses. It deprives the most vulnerable, least-skilled and least-experienced workers of an opportunity to earn their way into better paying career jobs.
The New Hampshire Senate has rebuffed a Democratic-led proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage in a vote that went along party lines.
First, the Democrats’ $15 federal hourly minimum wage mandate was ruled out by the Senate’s parliamentarian because it didn’t conform to the rules of the Senate for passing reconciliation bills with a 50-vote threshold. So, Democrats pivoted to a new, even worse plan.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which the House will soon vote on, must remove tax deductions from major corporations that don’t pay a minimum of $15 an hour. Further, Sanders said the bill should include provisions that incentivize small businesses to raise their wages.
“If your goal is to shut down independently owned mom and pop shops on Main Street and grow the market share of big-box megastores then I can think of nothing better than passing a federal $15 minimum wage today, because it will devastate small businesses,” NIFB’s Jeff Brabant said.