THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 7, 1995 TAG: 9501070223
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: National News
SOURCE: - From wire reports
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 27 lines
President Clinton is considering a proposal to raise the minimum wage by $1 to $5.25 an hour, but this is far more about politics than serious policy-making.
``It is under active consideration,'' Labor Secretary Robert Reich confirmed Friday at a White House press briefing. He cautioned, however, that Clinton has not made a final decision.
The Republican Congress almost certainly would never approve raising the minimum wage. Like most economists - and the overwhelming number of formal studies - almost all Republican lawmakers believe raising the minimum wage ends up in a net loss of jobs by driving employers to fire low-skill workers, and it tends to ratchet up overall wage inflation. by CNB