[20030520]98-960_制造业生产工人的联邦最低工资和平均小时收入.pdf

Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code 98-960 EUpdated May 20, 2003The Federal Minimum Wage and Average Hourly Earnings of Manufacturing Production WorkersWilliam G. WhittakerSpecialist in Labor EconomicsDomestic Social Policy DivisionSummaryThe federal minimum wage, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938,as amended, is fixed in statute and remains at the statutory level until the Congress,through new legislation, alters it. Each successive round of minimum wage increases(in 1949, 1955, 1961, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1989, and 1996) has been debated extensivelyand, very often, intensely.In part because of divergent views about the minimum wage concerning boththe appropriateness of having a legislated wage floor and, secondarily, the level at whichit ought to be set long periods have sometimes elapsed between minimum wageenactments. As a result, the market value of the minimum wage has fluctuated widelyand, with it, the protection afforded workers.Questions are often asked: How does the minimum wage compare with theaverage hourly earnings of production workers in manufacturing industries (AHE-M)?Has the