Minimum Wages

Archive Report

Minimum Wage Proposalls in Congress

Upward revision of the wage floor established by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 forms an important part of the administration's program to sustain mass purchasing power and promote high levels of employment in the postwar years. President Truman told Congress, Sept. 6, 1945, that “the goal of a 40-cent minimum [wage] was inadequate when established” and that “it has now become obsolete.” He urged that the statutory minimum be raised “substantially” to eliminate “substandards of living.” Director John W. Snyder of the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion asserted, Oct. 1, that “one vital element in a program to maintain purchasing power and living standards is an effective minimum-wage program.”1

Administration Support for Higher Minimum Wage

The President reminded Congress ...

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