A Minimum Minimum Wage Increase (1977)

This Day in Esoteric Political History

Jody Avirgan & Radiotopia

History

4.6 • 982 Ratings

🗓️ 2 November 2021

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s November 2nd. This day in 1977, Jimmy Carter signed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $3.35.

Jody, Niki, and Kellie discuss the relatively short history of the minimum wage in this country — one in which the rate was increased fairly regularly, until a generation ago.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and
0:05.0	welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.
0:08.0	My name is Jody Avergan.
0:11.0	This day, November 2nd, 1977, President Carter signs legislation increasing the paychecks of many of the country's lowest paid workers.
0:20.0	This would
0:25.0	over the course, over the course, about a new minimum wage.
0:27.0	Carter's bold legislation would,
0:29.0	over the course of four years, phase in a boost to the minimum wage all the way up to $3.35.
0:36.3	Of course that sounds small.
0:38.1	Now the federal minimum wage now is $7.25.
0:41.4	A lot of states have set it higher. And there is a high profile fight of course to raise it up to $10 or $15. But the history of minimum
0:49.7	wage is not that long and it is one in which basically every year or two it has been increased
0:55.6	until that is you get into the 80s and 90s
0:58.5	and then a little over 10 years ago
1:00.7	it just stops and we have not raised the minimum wage ever since so that is
1:04.4	something that we will get into and this moment in 1977 where Carter
1:09.4	increases the minimum wage is a nice way to get at some of the larger history of it.
1:14.2	So here to do that, as always are Nicole Hammer of Columbia and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley.
1:19.2	Hello there.
1:20.2	Finally, a positive Carter episode. I've been waiting for this.
1:24.0	Hello Jody.
1:26.0	Yes.
	...

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