Labor unions and their allies on Tuesday stepped up their push to get Congress to approve a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, up from the current rate of $7.25, urging rank-and-file members to press their congressmen on the issue.
House Democrats have pushed legislation to more than double the federal rate but it faces a likely obstacle in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“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.”
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. “Three weeks ago, lawmakers in the House brought a bill to make $15/hour the law of the land one step closer to a floor vote. Now, we’ve got to keep the momentum going,” it said.
The House Education and Labor Committee marked up the Raise the Wage Act, legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour over three years, earlier this month. A spokesperson for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., could not be reached for comment on when the full House might vote.
Unions are backing a higher minimum wage as a means to force salaries upward outside of normal collective bargaining. The Economic Policy Institute, a pro-union think tank, tweeted, “The Raise the Wage Act would ensure that families are able to cover the cost of basic necessities. Call your representative … and tell them to #RaiseTheWage!”
[Opinion: I’m a restaurant employee in a city with a $15 minimum wage; here’s how it’s hurt me]
