The federal minimum wage was increased to $7.25 an hour by Congress in 2009, which has only been done a handful of times since the wage was established in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Even with this modest increase in income, the minimum wage today does not guarantee a decent standard of living. It has failed to keep pace with the wage growth of the average American worker. The minimum wage was intended to provide a minimum standard of living; to help alleviate poverty and reward someone for their work, however, in today's economy, it fails to live up to these modest goals. Despite the fact that many adults and their included families depend on these wages to make ends meet, there is strong opposition to any proposed and necessary increases (Shierholz, 2009). The minimum wage debate dates back more than seven decades. Most people today do not realize the horrendous conditions that early American workers were forced to endure to survive. Imagine for a moment a world in which men and women, even small children, are forced to work sixty hours or more a week, six days a week, with no breaks during the workday. Adding insult to injury, the backbreaking work they are forced to endure only pays pennies. Sometimes these workers aren't even paid in cash. Sometimes, instead of this pittance, they are paid in vouchers, which can only be used to make purchases at a company store. These meager wages they receive would not be considered a living wage by most standards, a wage that could adequately meet basic needs such as housing, food, and medical care (America Press, 2006). Too often the working conditions they are exposed to are dangerous and would be considered unhealthy and dangerous by trade unions. Journal of Collective Bargaining, 32(1), 5-17. doi:10.2190/CN.32.1.bMinimum wage increase (2006). America Press.Sabia, J. J., & Burkhauser, RV (2010). Minimum wages and poverty: Will a $9.50 federal minimum wage really help the working poor? Southern Economic Journal, 76(3), 592-623.Schlosser, E. (2008). The bare minimum. (cover story). Nation, 286(13), 20-22.Shierholz, H. (2009). Fix it and forget it: Index the minimum wage to average wage growth. Economic Policy Institute, (briefing paper) 251, 1-24. Smith, D. A., & Tolbert, C. J. (2010). Direct democracy, public opinion and choice of candidates. Public Opinion Quarterly, 74(1), 85-108.Stevans, L. K., & Sessions, D. N. (2001). Minimum wage policy and poverty in the United States. International Review of Applied Economics, 15(1), 65-75. doi:10.1080/02692170120013358