Help for Low-Wage Workers? Santorum Votes against Low-Wage Workers

Santorum's Words
“Research has shown that in every state in the union, a mother working half time at minimum wage is still better off than if she were on welfare.”
It Takes a Family – pg. 136

Santorum's Actions
Easy for him to say. Halftime at minimum wage equals $5,356 per year – about $7,474 below the poverty line for a mother and one child.

Since Rick Santorum entered the U.S. Congress in 1991, his annual pay has increased by 32%, from $125,100 to $165,200.

But what’s good enough for him is not good enough for low-wage workers: while accepting increases in his own pay, he repeatedly voted against increasing the minimum wage. [Note: Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter voted to increase the minimum wage in all these cases.]

When it comes to a simple Up or Down Vote on the minimum wage, Santorum voted against an increase in these roll call votes:

• Roll Call Vote #184, S.Amdt. 4435 to H.R. 3448, 7/9/1996, Rejected 46-52.
• RCV #278, S.Amdt. 3540 to S.Amdt. 3559 to S. 1301, 9/22/1998, motion to kill the increase passed 55-44.
• RCV #356, S.Amdt. 2751 to S. 625, 11/9/1999, motion to kill the increase passed 50-48.
• RCV #76, S.Amdt. 3079 to S.Amdt. 2951 to S.Con.Res. 101, 4/7/2000, this vote did not actually increase the minimum wage but expressed a sense of the Senate that they should increase the wage by $1.00 over one year. It passed 51-48.
• RCV #44, S.Amdt. 44 to to S. 256, 3/7/2005, the amendment failed 46-49
• RCV #179, S.Amdt. 4322 to S. 2766, 6/21/2006, Passed 52-46 but later withdrawn since it did not receive 60 votes needed to move further.

Click below to help spotlight Rick Santorum's record in preventing an increase in the minimum wage while accepting regular increases in his pay: