U.S. senator calls for minimum wage increase for working class: The Guardian

LONDON, April 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. senator Bernie Sanders has called on the U.S. Congress to raise the minimum wage to a living wage for the working class, in an opinion piece in The Guardian.

"At a time of massive and growing income and wealth inequality and record-breaking corporate profits, we must stand up for working families -- many of whom are struggling every day to provide a minimal standard of living for their families," Sanders wrote in the article for the newspaper.

According to Sanders, the federal minimum wage of 7.25 U.S. dollars an hour has not been raised since 2009 and has lost over 27 percent of its purchasing power since 14 years ago.

Raising the minimum wage is also good for the U.S. economy, argued Sanders. "Putting money into the hands of people who will spend it on basic needs is a strong economic stimulant," he said.