Proof of what he wants ? Or proof of it working ? Here ' s what F . D . R . said when he initially passed the minimum wage act . No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country . 1933 , Statement on National Industrial Recovery ActBy living wages , I mean more than a bare subsistence level I mean the wages of a decent living . 1933 , Statement on National Industrial Recovery ActDo not let any calamityhowling executive with an income of $ 1 , 000 a day , who has been turning his employees over to the Government relief rolls in order to preserve his company ' s undistributed reserves , tell you using his stockholders ' money to pay the postage for his personal opinions tell you that a wage of $ 11 . 00 a week is going to have a disastrous effect on all American industry . 1938 , Fireside Chat , the night before signing the Fair Labor Standards Act that instituted the federal minimum wageI side with F . D . R .