Coalition Pushes Increase : Drive Launched to Press Bush on Minimum Wage

A coalition of civil rights, religious, women’s and other activist groups opened a campaign today designed to pressure President Bush to sign a minimum wage increase he has promised to veto.

“We believe that a veto of this desperately needed legislation would be a tragic step backward for millions of America’s working people and their families,” said Coretta Scott King, co-chairwoman of the Citizens Committee for a Just Minimum Wage.

“By the stroke of a pen, he could replace despair with hope in the lives of millions of our people,” said co-chairman Arthur Flemming, who was secretary of health, education and welfare in the Eisenhower Administration.

First Salvo

The group, including representatives of dozens of labor, religious, women’s, community and political organizations, said the first salvo in its effort would be a 30-second radio ad chastising Bush for promising to veto the minimum-wage bill at a time he is advocating tax breaks for the wealthy.

“Something’s wrong here,” a narrator says in the ad. “America should be a place where hard work pays off--for everyone. President Bush, don’t deny working Americans a chance to help themselves.”

The rhetoric in the ad and by speakers at a news conference announcing the effort was sharp, but the radio campaign itself is modest. The coalition said it will spend $30,000 to air the spot on 37 radio stations in 13 states and the District of Columbia this week.

Both chambers of Congress have passed legislation raising the hourly minimum wage from $3.35 an hour to $4.55 by October, 1991, while allowing employers to pay some new workers a sub-minimum wage for up to two months.

Veto Vowed

The Democratic leadership plans to send the bill to the White House after the Senate returns from a weeklong recess. Bush has vowed to veto it; he had offered to support an increase to $4.25 an hour provided all new employees could be paid a sub-minimum for six months.

Bush appears to have the strength to sustain a veto, meaning the impasse could result in a ninth year passing without any increase in the minimum wage, which rose to $3.35 an hour in 1981.