July 2012

We'll be joining ROC and Fight for Philly today at 4:00 pm, marching from the Liberty Bell to the Gallery Mall as a part of today's National Day of Action around the minimum wage. Here's a great explanation why, from our friends at AFSCME: 

 Says AFSCME: 

"It’s time for Congress to raise the federal minimum wage. The last time they did, in 2009, it rose to $7.25 an hour. That’s just $15,080 a year for someone employed full time – hardly enough to support a family of four.

In fact, it’s $7,000 less than the federal poverty line for such a family. [...] Meanwhile, CEO pay has risen 725 percent over the last 30 years and 80 percent of all real income growth has gone to the richest 1 percent of Americans. The gap between the 1 percent and the 99% has never been higher. [...]

We call on Congress to support the Rebuild America Act introduced this year by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA). “A higher minimum wage is the simplest thing we can do to help struggling families become self-sufficient and join the middle class,” the bill states.

We here at Philly Jobs with Justice say, amen.

AFSCME.org | The Minimum Wage is Outdated