It ain’t perfect, but it’s an acknowledgement that economic conditions – and costs of living – differ across the country depending on the region one may be working in. Representative Terri Sewell of the Alabama 7th Congressional District has proposed a federal regional minimum wage that may be gaining some traction in the democrat-controlled US House of Representatives. Congresswoman Sewell’s proposal, the Paying Hourly Americans Stronger Earnings (PHASE)-In $15 Wage Act (H.R. 2080) would calculate a federal wage floor based on the regional cost of living and would establish 5 different tiers, each of which would have a regional federal minimum wage affixed to it. The PHASE-In $15 Wage Act, which also eliminates the tipped wage nationally, is winning some additional support from red-state democrats who’ve been concerned about setting a national minimum wage, regardless of regional economic realities. Alabama’s minimum wage is currently the same as the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.
