On Tuesday, across 5 minimum wage ballot initiatives, Americans overwhelmingly embraced a new economic deal for working people. Every single one of the 5 minimum wage-related ballot initiatives was successful (see link below). These initiatives aren’t succeeding in blue states, they are succeeding in all states. As a result of Tuesday’s successes, 2.3 million Americans will get a raise and $3.5 billion will be injected into state economies.
More money = less economic anxiety = less fear = less fertile ground for hate-mongering, violence, and irresponsible decision-making.
The Patriotic Millionaires have aggressively championed a higher minimum wage, last year formally endorsing Senator Sanders’ “Pay Workers a Living Wage” bill (S. 1832) which would raise wages to $15 an hour by 2020. We outlined our thinking in Re-Negotiating Power and Money in America, and detailed the way unscrupulous politicians are stopping the will of working Americans in our addendum report So Goes the Nation: North Carolina, which details the real story behind HB2 (which had nothing to do with bathrooms).
Four out of ten Americans make less than $15 an hour. Raising the federal minimum wage is a critical first step in a fundamental reset of the American economy.
If President-elect Donald Trump is serious about cutting a new deal for American workers – and we dearly hope he is – he can prove it by signing a new minimum wage bill within the first 100 days of his administration. By signing a bill, President-elect Trump will be giving an immediate raise to the millions and millions of the white working class voters who formed the heart of his victory.
The issue has clear bi-partisan support with 63% of all Americans supporting raising the wage to $15 an hour and 75% supporting an increase to at least $12 an hour.
Not only is a higher minimum wage a clear moral imperative, it will also be great for business. A secret Chamber of Commerce survey showed that 80% of business leaders support a higher minimum wage, and only 8% oppose it.
In these tumultuous times, that is a whole lot of agreement.
So on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, the Patriotic Millionaires will be heading to Washington to draw a line in the sand.
To President-elect Trump, we have this to say:
If you really want to lead on behalf of hard-working Americans, PROVE IT. Sign a new minimum wage bill in your first 100 days or explain to all those working people who voted for you why you won’t.
We’ve compiled a quick briefing paper for you with information on the minimum wage fight, you can access it by clicking HERE. The Patriotic Millionaires will be meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, if you want to join them in advancing decent wages for all give your Senator a call and tell them to support raising the minimum wage. You can find the number for your Senator’s DC office HERE.
