The majority of lawmakers sponsoring legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour do not pay their interns, according to a report from the Employment Policies Institute.
The Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024, was introduced by the Congressional Progressive Caucus in May.
“The federal minimum wage has been a stagnant $7.25 for far too long, forcing workers to juggle multiple jobs while barely making ends meet,” the caucus said in a statement. “For years, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and progressive groups like Fight for $15 and Good Jobs Nation have fought for workers’ right to a living wage and have continued to show how low wages impact the daily lives of working families.”
However, the analysis conducted by the Employment Policies Institute shows that the majority of the lawmakers who have co-sponsored the measure do not pay their interns a wage at all. The study found that of the 184 lawmakers who supported the bill, 174, or 95 percent did not pay their interns.
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