Minimum wage increase knocked out for now

U.S. senators on Wednesday blocked legislation that would have raised the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

The Senate fell five votes short of the 60 votes necessary to pass the bill, which was blocked by Republicans.

Sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the bill would have raised the federal minimum wage of $7.25 in three phases. It would have been increased to $8.20 six months after official approval, $9.15 after one year and $10.10 a year after that.

Raising the minimum wage would benefit 28 million workers, according to a news release from U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez. Many are barely surviving on as little as $7.25 an hour and are forced to rely on public assistance to get by, he said in the release.

In Missouri, minimum wage is $7.50 an hour.

Some Cape Girardeau business owners shared concerns of being forced to cut hours or lay off employees should the legislation have passed.

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill in a news release said partisan politics once again got in the way of strengthening the economy.

"It's time to stop bickering, deal with this important issue and give the American people the raise they deserve," McCaskill said in the release.

President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats have pledged to make a minimum-wage increase an issue in the 2014 elections.