U.S. Vice President Joe Biden joined Los Angeles lawmakers Tuesday on a roundtable discussion pushing for an increased minimum wage come 2017.

Biden backs up Mayor Eric Garcetti's initiative to boost the city's hourly salary to US$13.25 to assist consumer spending and local growth.

In his opening remarks, Biden said no American citizen should work for 40 hours each week and live below the poverty line. He emphasized that the labor force should be empowered through increased wages, which is one of the building blocks for a stronger and sustainable economy.

Like Us on Facebook

Part of Biden's plan is to aggregate investment capitals in the city to US$1.8 billion to resonate with Garcetti's vision of fulfilling the American dream, which entails hard work that is secure and that can support working class families.

Biden said that President Barrack Obama's previous proposition to increase the national minimum wage to $10.10 was stalled in the Congress. The Pennsylvania native politician denied premature conclusions that more salary is congruent to counter-productivity and job layoffs but rather improved loyalty and sustainable economy.

If they successfully pass the bill, Biden said that 28 million lives will be alleviated "out of poverty." But the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), in contrast, stated that the figures are exaggerated. Only 900,000 Americans can statistically benefit from a potential US$5 billion income increased for families below the poverty threshold, CBO added.

The roundtable discussion is an agenda that Biden conducts in major cities in the country. Among those who participated in the discussion were L.A. Congressman Xavier Becerra, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Janice Hahn, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, and Councilors Herb Wesson and Gil Cedillo.

TagsU.S. minimum wage increase, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Eric Garcetti, labor, Management, Human Resource Management, Employment Compensation