April 30, 2014
Contact: Linda Meric, National Executive Director,
(303) 628-0925 x15 or lindam@9to5.org
DENVER, April 30, 2014 — “Despite overwhelming support from hard-working Americans, a minority group of senators blocked a vote to advance the Fair Minimum Wage Act today.
Increasing the minimum wage is one step that would immediately put more money in the purses of working women, because women make up nearly two-thirds of all workers who are paid the minimum wage or less.
Minimum wage earners are not paid enough to be able to afford their families’ basic needs. They earn so little that they qualify for, and are forced to rely on, food stamps and other public assistance to make ends meet. A woman supporting a family of three with a minimum wage job earns roughly $15,000 a year, $4,000 below the poverty line.
Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would benefit 17 million women.
In this great country, we need to get our economy moving again. The only way to do that is to put more money in the pockets and pocketbooks of workers in low-wage jobs, so they can spend on essentials like food, utilities, gas and repairs — purchases that keep local communities and businesses going.
But 9to5 won’t let today’s vote stop us. Cities and states are taking action to raise wages on their own. We will continue our campaign to urge federal legislators to increase the minimum wage, a wage so low that it keeps many working women with families in the grip of poverty. It’s time for a raise.”
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About 9to5: With forty-one years’ experience in winning justice for working women, 9to5 leads the way to create a powerful force for change on issues affecting low-wage women and their families. www.9to5.org
