The purpose of welfare reform was never to create a subculture of less valued, less protected, second class workers. Yet the Ways and Means Committee voted to do that last night when the Republican majority decided the minimum wage does not apply to people in Welfare-to-Work programs.
The minimum wage is not merely the law - it is the first step out of the cycle of poverty. The provisions passed last night violate the basic premise of welfare reform, which is to move people from welfare to work with a living wage.
Counting non-cash benefits towards workers' pay only keeps them at or below the poverty level. It also guarantees that people performing the same job earn dramatically different wages, which is unfair and leads to further pay inequities in the workplace.
The argument that there is no money to pay the minimum wage is a specious one. In most states, the welfare caseloads are shrinking, leaving block grant funds available for welfare to work programs.
The payroll formula is simple: An honest day's pay for an honest day's work, for everyone.
You hear a great deal in this Congress about our concern for children. Our concern is not only about their health, their education and their well-being, it's about the economic opportunities for their parents and their families.
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