 |
Dear James,
It took months of negotiations, but yesterday, the Senate finally voted
to pass a deal to extend unemployment insurance for our friends and
family members who are trying to keep food on the table while they look
for work.
It's our elected representatives' jobs to listen to their constituents
and act accordingly, but we don't always see that happen. Thanks for
taking action to extend unemployment insurance for our friends and
family members in need. Our Senators listened to us.
Now we're working to make this one of the best weeks possible in the
U.S. Senate. Later this week, we expect the Senate to hold a vote on
whether to raise the minimum wage to $10.10. According to the Economic
Policy Institute, raising the minimum wage to $10.10 will create 140,000
new jobs over three years.
The current $7.25 minimum wage has some serious catching up to do.
Workers making minimum wage today make less than they did in 1968 when
adjusted for inflation. Meanwhile, worker productivity has DOUBLED
during this time. Workers have earned a higher minimum wage and they
deserve the opportunity for better lives. We're counting on our
representatives to pass this necessary fix to the minimum wage.
Not only would a new minimum-wage law be a huge victory for workers,
but it makes good sense on a broader economic level. Raising wages will
save taxpayers money. Since wages in the fast food industry are so low,
for instance, more than half of front-line fast food workers depend on
public assistance to pay for basic needs like food, rent and healthcare.
This ends up costing Americans nearly $7 billion every year.
In Solidarity,
Alesa Mackool
SEIU.org
|
No comments:
Post a Comment