By Doug Cunningham

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney joined Senator Ted Kennedy Thursday at a press conference calling for quick action by Congress to increase the federal minimum wage. AFL-CIO Legislative Director Bill Samuel describes what’s expected to happen.

[Bill Samuel 1]: “The minimum wage increase that the Congress will consider in January will take the current minimum wage of $5.15 to $7.25 in three steps over 26 months."

Given how hard it’s been to raise the minimum wage under Republican control, is a Democratic Congress likely to build in automatic increases in the minimum wage to counter inflation?

[Samuel 2]: “We think the federal government needs to do that. This next increase that will occur in January probably will not be altered to include an indexing provision. But we'll get to work right away to get Congress during the next year or so to consider that and hopefully pass it that we don't have to wait another ten years before the federal government increases the minimum wage."