Tracking the minimum wage's value

In a spat over unemployment benefits, a Wisconsin Democrat claims that it's been over 50 years since the federal minimum wage stopped increasing on par with inflation. PolitiFact checks his numbers.
Posted 6/21/2021, 8:44:52 PM

CAROLINA DHHS AND FACEBOOK,

TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE ACCOUNTS.

>>> YOU WILL HEAR DIFFERENT

REASONS WHY BUSINESSES ARE

STRUGGLING TO FIND WORKERS.

REPUBLICANS SAID GOVERNMENT

BENEFITS AND STIMULUS PACKAGES

ARE TOO HIGH.

MEANWHILE, SOME SAY WORKERS ARE

HOLDING OUT BECAUSE WAGES HAVE

BEEN TOO LOW FOR TOO LONG.

WE WILL CHECK ONE DEMOCRATS

CLAIM.

>> HAS THE MINIMUM WAGE KEPT UP

WITH INFLATION?

MANDELA BARNES SAYS NO.

AND IT HASN'T FOR 50 YEARS.

WE ALSO POINTED OUT THE MINIMUM

WAGE HAS NOT GONE UP IN OVER A

DECADE.

WE KNOW THAT IS RIGHT BECAUSE

WE FACT CHECKED IT OR LATER

THIS YEAR.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS CHART FROM

THE CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH

SERVICE.

THE MINIMUM WAGE IS IN BLUE.

THE MINIMUM WAGE ADJUSTED IS IN

RED.

THIS BASICALLY SHOWS THAT THE

MINIMUM WAGE IS VALUED OVER

TIME, AND YOU CAN SEE BOTH

LINES WERE RISING UNTIL ABOUT

1968.

THAT IS IN THE MIDDLE.

THEN, THE ADJUSTED VALUE IN RED

STARTED TO DECLINE.

IN FACT, THE VALUE OF THE

MINIMUM WAGE HAS DECLINED SO

MUCH THAT TODAY, THE WAGE IS

WORTH 17% LESS THEN WHEN IT WAS

PUT IN PLACE IN 2009.

THE VALUE PEAKED IN 1968.

IT HAS GONE DOWN 31% OVER THE

LAST FIVE DECADES.

HE APPEARS TO BE SPOT ON,

THAT'S WHY THE TRUTH METER

RATES THIS CLAIM TRUE.

© WRAL