Later this week Senator Patty Murray will introduce a new federal minimum wage bill calling for an increase from the current level of $7.25 to $12 by 2020. This legislation has strong support among Democrats in Congress as well as the general public. Polling shows that even among Republicans, over half favor increasing the minimum wage.
A new report shows that 42% of workers in the US earn less than $15/hour and women and people of color are overrepresented in the low-wage group. The new federal bill is an ambitious attempt to get closer to the $15/hour that labor advocates and food workers have been calling for in recent years. The increase will give a boost to some of the most vulnerable working families in the US. The bill will also address tipped workers, correcting the disparity between the tipped and regular minimum wage, protecting workers who rely on tips from extreme volatility of wages.
Help build momentum for the new bill early on. This Thursday (April 30th) at 1 p.m. eastern join the Twitter storm to help generate a buzz. Join the conversation by using #raisethewage. Let your friends and followers know why you support the minimum wage or just join in to learn more.
For more background, see our previous blogs on supporting working families and the fight for $15/hour and our new minimum wage fact sheet.
Posted on April 28th 2015