“We are morally outraged by the number of people living in poverty in the United States, and believe that now is the time to give hard-working low-wage workers a raise and take the first step toward a true living wage for America's workers… We appreciate the commitment made by the leadership of the 110th Congress to address the woefully inadequate federal minimum wage. We will continue to raise our voices on behalf of "the least of these" and proclaim that a job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it.”
–The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church; The Reverend Dr. Stan Hastey, Executive Director, The Alliance of Baptists; The Reverend Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick Stated Clerk, The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Bishop Roy Riley, Chair, The Evangelical Lutheran Church Conference of Bishops; and one thousand other U.S. religious leaders (January 8, 2007)

“The federal minimum wage increase of 1996/97 was followed by the best low-wage labor market outcomes in decades. When that proposed increase was under discussion, opponents predicted massive job losses among those affected by the increase... Instead, the employment rates of the least advantaged workers soared to unprecedented levels, poverty rates fell to historic lows, particularly for minority populations, the least skilled workers, and single mothers. Low wages rose in step with productivity growth for the first time in almost thirty years. Note that I do not claim that the federal minimum wage increase was solely responsible for these outcomes… But Congress should take note: the 1996/97 increase complemented these conditions; it did not preclude them.”
–Jared Bernstein, Economist, Economic Policy Institute (January 10, 2007)