audio by title this day in history june 4 in 1912

• produced by Hana Georg
• in

Massachusetts became the first state in the US to set a minimum wage, at $0.25 per hour. Many states enacted similar policies, although until 1941 the Supreme Court upheld that minimum wage legislation was unconstitutional. From 1997 until just this year, the minimum wage remained $5.15 even though within the 10 years inflation rose over a quarter and poverty steadily increased. Our government must realize that the price of living has gone up, considering that Congress raised its own pay 7 times since 1997. I thought congress was supposed to represent the people.