In Their Lives 11-2-77: Minimum Wage

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Next up: 1977 in my look at what happened in November in the years my family members and best friend were born. Submitted for your approval: a 17-year-old, who stays up all night, answers the phone at 5 AM one November morning. It’s her brother. “Let me talk to Mother.” “Okay. Is she a grandmother yet?” “Yes, but don’t tell her.” And that’s how I entered the AUNT ZONE. Here’s what the newspapers had to say on this date in 1977. 11/2/77: President Carter Signs Minimum Wage Increase This had personal effect on me, because I was working at the time. As a result of President Carter signing a bill that increased the minimum wage in the U.S. from $2.30 an hour to $2.65 an hour, I was in hog heaven. That meant I worked less than three hours for each new album I bought! According to the newspaper reports, the increase of 35c an hour was “the biggest increase ever in the minimum wage.” The increase came 39 years after FDR first established the minimum wage law in 1938. If you’re wondering, minimum wage in 1938 was 25c an hour.. An appropriate song from 1977 for this subject (well, I thought I was rich):