Add It Up March 16 2005
Minimum rage
Current minimum wage - $5.15
Annual pre-tax salary of a minimum-wage employee working 35 hours a week with no vacation - $9,373
Federal poverty guideline for a one-person household - $9,570
Number of votes shy of the 60 needed last week for the U.S. Senate to pass a measure raising the minimum wage to $7.25 - 14
Years since Congress has increased the minimum wage - 7.5
Annual salary of a U.S. senator - $162,100
Days U.S. Senate was in session in 2004 - 133
Approximate salary paid to U.S. senators for each day of the 2004 session - $1,219
Amount by which a U.S. senator’s salary has increased since 1997 - $28,500
Hourly wage of a Creative Loafing intern - $0?-
Sources: U.S. Senate; Associated Press; U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services??