On ‘Raise the Wage Day,’ unions urged their members and followers to pressure Congress to increase the minimum wage to $15 by passing the ‘Raise the Wage Act.’
WASHINGTON, DC—On Tuesday, labor unions urged upon their members to call legislators in Washington to pass the so-called ‘Raise the Wage’ Act—a bill that would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024.
Although it has little chance of passing right now, were it to pass, the Raise the Wage Act would raise the federal minimum wage incrementally from its current $7.25 per hour to $8.55 an hour, beginning three months after passage of the act, then increasing on each anniversary to $9.85, $11.15, $12.45, $13.75 and $15.00 an hour, respectively, which would be reached in 2024
The bill eliminates the lower wage exemption for tipped employees, as well.
“Three weeks ago, lawmakers in the House brought that bill one step closer to a floor vote. Now, we’ve got to keep the momentum going,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in an email to members Tuesday. “This is our chance to make a $15 per hour minimum wage a reality for ALL workers. Tell your congressperson that raising the wage is a win-win for workers and the economy.”
According to the Washington Examiner, “Fight for $15, an activist group funded and run by the Service Employees International Union, sent a similar email to its activists Tuesday, with some passages that were nearly identical” to the AFL-CIO’s email.
The SEIU’s group Fight For $15 also urged its followers to sign a petition to raise the wage to $15.
As did the AFL-CIO…
On social media, both the AFL-CIO and SEIU solicited their followers to call Congress and urge passage of the bill.
Today is the #RaisetheWage Day of Action. Call Today and urge your Member of Congress to support the Raise the Wage Act of 2019. #1u
☎: 1-866-829-3298 pic.twitter.com/IQEPe9fDhb— AFL-CIO (@AFLCIO) March 26, 2019
All Americans, no matter where they work or what they do, deserve at least $15 an hour.
Call your representative on Tuesday, March 26 and tell them to support the #RaiseTheWage Act: 866-426-2631 pic.twitter.com/CazANDGrjY
— SEIU (@SEIU) March 27, 2019
On Tuesday, McDonald’s—one of the SEIU’s main ‘Fight for $15’ targets over the last six years—announced that it was stopping its lobbying efforts to fight minimum wage hikes at the “federal, state or local level.”
