Centrist Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives proposed federal minimum wage legislation that would preserve low wages in rural areas.

Though many Americans may still be under the impression that those working minimum wage jobs are just young people in their first job, evidence continues to show that a sizable and increasing portion of the minimum wage workforce are over 40 and staying in the “entry level” jobs for years.

Late last year, in response to a series of strikes by workers and protests by activists, Walmart agreed to raise wages so that many of the company’s workers received at least a meager $9 an hour in 2015. Unfortunately, Walmart’s entire business model is based on severely exploiting workers in the US, so the order has now come down from Walmart executives to cut workers’ hours to lower company costs.