Vice President Bush has called for a boost in the wage floor thus improving chances for enactment . Bush , a presidential candidate , withdrew support after being jeered by workers who had opposed pay cuts . A Chamber of Commerce spokesman says that chances for passage have now increased from " next to zero " to 50 - 50 . President Reagan who had characterized minimum wage increases as reducing unemployment says he and Bush are in agreement . A proposal by Senator Hatch to require employers to set a " living wage " of 80 % of the minimum may be a stumbling block . Proponents say that the increase is needed to raise the income of millions of workers above the poverty line .
Vice President Bush has called for a boost in the wage floor thus improving chances for enactment. Bush, a presidential candidate, voiced support after being jeered by workers who had suffered pay cuts. A Chamber of Commerce spokesman says that chances for passage have now increased from "next to zero" to 50-50. President Reagan who had characterized minimum wage increases as causing unemployment says he and Bush are in agreement. A proposal by Senator Hatch to allow employers to pay a "training wage" of 80% of the minimum may be a stumbling block. Proponents say that the increase is needed to raise the income of millions of workers above the poverty line.