Labor Secretary Robert Reich wants the Clinton administration to mount a drive this fall for a minimum wage of at least $4.50 - with automatic future adjustments to reflect inflation.
In a memo to President Clinton, Reich said raising the minimum wage from $4.25 to $4.50 an hour and then ensuring it would rise along with inflation "is a minimum prerequisite to reaching the goal of lifting families of four with full-time workers out of poverty."If the minimum wage were "indexed" to inflation, it would automatically rise each year rather than going to Congress for approval.
Clinton advocated both a higher minimum wage and indexing during the presidential campaign, but administration attention so far this year has been on other issues including deficit reduction and health-care changes.