This morning the Patriotic Millionaires took to the streets once again to fight for a fair minimum wage. Vice-chair Stephen Prince spoke at a rally to raise the minimum wage alongside Senators Bernie Sanders, Patty Murray, and Chuck Schumer.
The rally, organized by Good Jobs Nation in support of the federal contract workers’ strike, was used by the members of Congress present as an opportunity to debut their groundbreaking Raise the Wage Act. The Raise the Wage Act, the first minimum wage bill with unified Senate Democrat support, would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024 and then index it to inflation.
Prince gave an impassioned speech about the economic and moral necessity of raising the minimum wage. He highlighted his Tennessee residence and used it as a launching point to call on Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee to abandon his stalling and let the minimum wage bill out of committee. As chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Alexander has been the primary roadblock in bringing a bill to raise the federal minimum wage before the full Senate, in large part due to his belief that there should be no minimum wage at all.
This is just one of a number of rallies in which the Patriotic Millionaires has partnered with Good Jobs Nation in our continued fight to raise the minimum wage and advocate for a more equitable country.
In an economy that is 70% consumer driven, it is unconscionable that four out of ten Americans make less than $15.00 an hour. Millions of Americans work full time jobs and still can’t afford to pay for their basic needs. When low-wage workers have more money in their pockets, they can spend more money at grocery stores, restaurants, and businesses all across the country, giving the economy a much-needed boost. Maybe that’s why a recent study by the Chamber of Commerce showed that 80% of business leaders want the minimum wage raised. Raising the minimum wage isn’t just the right moral choice, it’s the right economic one as well.
This bill is an important step forward in the long battle to raise the federal minimum wage. It is an exciting turning point in the fight – it signifies the growing momentum for a $15 minimum wage both in Congress and in the court of public opinion.