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Take Action and #TalkPoverty National Toolkit: Raise the Minimum
WageRight now the economy isnt working for everyone too many
Americans are working long hours for wages that are too low to
support their families. The federal minimum wage is a poverty wage:
$7.25 per hour, which is just $15,080 annually for a full-time
worker and $4,000 below the poverty line for a family of three.
More than four years after the end of the Great Recession, not only
have wages for low- and middle-income workers failed to recover,
but low-wage jobs have dominated job growth. Thats why we must take
action and support the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which and would raise
the wage to $10.10 by 2016 and raise the minimum wage for tipped
workerscurrently a stunning $2.13 per hourto 70 percent of the
minimum wage. If the minimum wage from the late 1960s were indexed
to inflation, it would now be well over $10.50 an hour. Raising the
minimum wage would help 28 million American workers make ends meet,
and more than 21 million children have a parent who would get a
raise. Even though raising the wage would bring millions of
families into the middle class, save taxpayers billions of dollars,
and boost the economic recovery, many are fighting against it. We
must push back against false claims and narratives that stoke fears
about things like job loss, economic pain for small businesses, and
higher consumer prices. The bottom line is we need to restore a
strong minimum wage for Americas workers and provide millions of
families relief from poverty its time working families are given a
raise! Take action, share your story, and get your elected
officials to listen. This toolkit provides several resources to
help you take action with the media, other advocates, and your
elected officials in support of raising the minimum wage,
including:State-by-state and national data on the current state of
poverty from Half in Ten and its partnersMedia talking
pointsQuestions and AnswersSample op-ed, press release, and letter
to the editorState-by-state and national data on the effects of an
increased minimum wageWays to take action onlineincluding use of
infographics and social mediaby joining the #TalkPoverty online
community Ways to tell your story through Our American Story and
make your voice heard in the mediaOther resources to help you
organize and take action
Need further assistance? Were here to help! Contact: Erik
Stegman, Manager, Half in Ten Campaign,
[email protected], 202-481-8145
Explore Poverty Data in Your StateThe following resources are
intended to help you develop advocacy materials to raise your voice
in your local community with the media, policymakers and other
advocates as well as provide broader context for why raising the
minimum wage is crucial for your state. We encourage you to
incorporate this data into your op-eds, handouts, meetings with
editorial boards and policymakers, and other public education
efforts.Half in Ten State of the States 2013 ReportHalf in Ten also
publishes an annual report analyzing all of the below indicators
comparing where each state ranks. Resetting the Poverty Debate:
State of the States 2013 also includes 51 state-by-state fact
sheets and tables with data for each indicator, including food
insecurity, child poverty, affordable housing, etc, from all 50
states and the District of Columbia.Half in Ten Education Fund
State Data WebsiteOur partner, the Half in Ten Education Fund,
maintains an interactive website where you can find state-by-state
data and information on the following indicators of economic
security and opportunity:To explore data by state, including your
state fact sheet and congressional district data, click here.To
explore data by indicator and see where all the states rank, click
on the following:Poverty rateChild poverty rateUnemployment
rateHunger and food insecurityAffordable housingAssets and
savingsHigh school graduationDisconnected youthHigher education
attainmentGender wage gapUnemployment insurance coverageChildren
living apart from parents (foster care)Teen birth rateHealth
insurance coverage
Talking Points for MediaMillions of Americans would benefit from
increasing the minimum wage. Increasing the minimum wage to $10.10
and indexing it to inflation would raise the wages of 28 million
workers by $35 billion. Currently, a full-time worker making the
minimum wage earns just $15,080 a year. For a family of 3, that is
$4,000 below the poverty line. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10
would increase yearly earnings to $19,777 and would not just help
those who earn the minimum wage; workers earning just over the
minimum wage would also see their incomes rise due to a spillover
effect.
Most low-wage workers are women and are older than you think.
About two-thirds of all workers who were paid the minimum wage or
less were women. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would benefit
17 million women. Also, low-wage workers are not just teenagers. In
fact, nearly 90% of the workers who would benefit from a $10.10
minimum wage are 20 years or older, and the average age of a worker
who would benefit from an increase is 35. More than a third (35.8
percent) are married, and over a quarter (28 percent) are parents.
More than 21 million children will have at least one parent whose
pay will go up as a result of passing this new minimum wage
legislation.
Wages have not kept up with increased productivity or inflation.
Over the past few decades, worker productivity in the U.S. has
risen dramatically, but the average American worker is not reaping
the benefits. Instead, wages have grown at a tepid pace, and
workers are getting a smaller and smaller piece of the pie. If the
minimum wage kept up with increases in worker productivity, the
minimum wage would be over $18 an hour.Back in 1968, the federal
minimum wage was $1.60 an hour. If the minimum wage kept pace with
inflation, it would be more than $10.50 today. Todays minimum wage
of $7.25 an hour is 31% lower than the value of the minimum wage in
1968, adjusted for inflation.
Income inequality has increased dramatically. Although the
average workers wages have remained stagnant, the pay for those at
the top has skyrocketed. CEOs make 273 times more than average
workers do. In 1965, CEOs made 20.1 times the pay of the average
worker. By 2012, that ratio was more than 10 times larger. Between
1979 and 2007, the richest top 1% of American households saw their
income rise by 281%, or an increase of more than $973,000 per
household. Meanwhile, the poorest Americans saw an increase in
their income of only 16%, or $2,400.
Raising the minimum wage will immediately boost the economy and
put more money in the pocket of workers who will spend the money on
things like housing, food, and gas. This boost in demand for goods
and services will help stimulate the economy and create
opportunities for all Americans. The money gets funneled back to
businesses large and small, many of which will need to hire more
workers to keep up with increased demand, reinforcing a virtuous
circle that will help build an economy that works for everyone.
Increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 would increase
economic activity and provide immediate economic stimulus, growing
the economy by $32.6 billion.
Raising the minimum wage is important for jobs. Studies have
shown that minimum wage increases do not cause job losses. In 2010,
economists studied employment levels in neighboring counties that
straddle a border between states that had different minimum wage
rates between 1990 and 2006. The study found that minimum wage
increases did not cause job losses in counties with higher minimum
wages and more than half of states that raised the minimum wage
during periods of high unemployment saw the unemployment rate
decrease over the next 12 months. In fact, raising the wage to
$10.10 will create
http://www.epi.org/publication/raising-federal-minimum-wage-to-1010/.
Raising the wage to $10.10 an hour will generate $4.6 billion in
annual savings in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, or approximately $46 billion
over 10 years, according to a new study from CAP and the Institute
for Research on Labor and Employment at University of California at
Berkeley. Millions of low-wage workers look to public assistance
programs such as SNAP for help because their wages that are too low
to provide basic necessities for their families. Increasing the
minimum wage would lower costs for taxpayers because as wages
increased, low-wage workers would rely less on nutrition assistance
to put food on the table. SNAP is an effective nutrition program
that helped millions of families keep food on the tables taxpayers
can be proud of this investment and still wonder why so many
working families need the safety net to stay afloat when the net
incomes of four of the largest low-wage employers represent five
times the amount of cost savings in SNAP resulting from a minimum
wage hike to $10.10. While the SNAP savings represent a significant
reduction in safety net costs, they are a drop in the bucket for
corporations enjoying billions in profits who have flourished since
the Recession. Why are corporations asking taxpayers to foot the
bill for supplementing low wages when they can more than afford to
pay a higher wage?
Businesses like Costco, Wal-Mart, and Stride Rite see the value
and support increasing the minimum wage. Businesses see the
benefits of raising the minimum wageit helps reduce employee
turnover and increases employee productivity, commitment, and
loyalty. This all helps increase profits. Costco Senior Vice
President Jeff Long said it best, At Costco, we know good wages are
good business. We keep our overhead low while still paying a
starting wage of $11 an hour. Our employees are a big reason why
our sales per square foot is almost double that of our nearest
competitor. Instead of minimizing wages, we know its a lot more
profitable for the long term to minimize employee turnover and
maximize productivity and commitment, product value, customer
service and company reputation.
Raising the minimum wage is a political winner. Recent polling
from Pew Research shows that 73% of Americans support raising the
minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and adjusting it for the cost of
living in future years, and Half in Tens poll found that 84%
support (58% strong support) raising the wage and tying it to
inflation. Americans of all stripes and backgrounds support raising
the minimum wage, including 71% of Independents and 53% of
Republicans. States around the country are enacting minimum wage
hikes. In SeaTac, WA, voters passed a law raising the minimum wage
to $15 per hour. New Jersey voters overwhelmingly approved raising
the minimum wage, joining New York, Connecticut, and California in
doing so this year. Ballot and legislative initiatives are also
underway or expected in 30 states around the country.
Questions and AnswersQ: Wont increasing the minimum wage
increase unemployment and cause employers to stop hiring workers?A:
An overwhelming majority of recent economic research has found that
raising the minimum wage has little to no effect on unemployment.
More than half of states that raised the minimum wage during
periods of high unemployment saw the unemployment rate decrease
over the next 12 months. Increasing the minimum wage can actually
benefit businesses. Raising the wage to $10.10 will create an
estimated 85,000 new full-time jobs. According to surveys, more
than two-thirds of small business owners recognize this and support
raising the federal minimum wage. Small business owners already
acknowledge the benefits of higher wages, which is why 85% of those
surveyed dont pay any of their workers the federal minimum wage of
$7.25. Some larger businesses, such as Costco and Stride Rite, have
also supported increasing the minimum wage because they too
recognize the benefits of a minimum wage increase, which can help
increase profits.
Q: Who are the people making the minimum wage?A: The vast
majority of low-wage workers are not teenagers. Nearly 90 percentof
the workers who would benefit from raising the minimum wage to
$10.10 an hour are 20 years old or older, and the average age is 35
years old. More than a third (35.8 percent) are married, and over a
quarter (28 percent) are parents. More than 21 million children
have at least one parent whose paycheck would increase as a result
of passing this legislation. Also, women are disproportionately
low-wage workers. They make uptwo-thirds of the minimum wage
earnersin the country. As a result, raising the minimum wage would
help close the gender wage gapon average, a woman is currently paid
77 cents for every dollar that a man is paid. Evidence already
suggests thata higher minimum wage is related to a smaller gender
wage gapat the state level.
Q: Would raising the minimum wage lead to increased costs for
consumers?A: Actually, the costs of a minimum wage increase would
be almost entirely offset by its positive economic effects, so few
of the additional costs would be passed onto consumers. As noted
above, economists and business owners agree that raising the
minimum wage would encourage hard work, boost productivity,
increase demand, and lower job turnover rates. Furthermore, the
benefits to low-wage workers would be real and substantial. Another
study showed thateven under the most conservative assumptionsthe
food price increases that come with a minimum wage increase will
lead to no more than an extra dime a day for American households
while delivering $51 billion in additional income to 30 million
workers.
Q: What does raising the minimum wage do for the economy? Would
it hurt our economic recovery?A: No, increasing the minimum wage
would in fact provide an immediate boost to the economy. Raising
the minimum wage would put money in the pockets of low-income
workers, who are likely to spend it immediately on things like
housing, food, and cars. This boost in demand for goods and
services helps stimulate the economy. The money gets funneled back
to employers who can then reinvest it in jobs and the economy.
Researchers at the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank found the effect to
be significant and immediate, noting that a $1 minimum wage hike
increases household income by roughly $250 and spending by
approximately $700 per quarter in the year following a minimum wage
hike. Simply put: raising the minimum wage would grow our economy.
Increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 would grow
our nations total economy (GDP) by $32.6 billion by the end of the
phase-in period.
Q: Would raising the minimum wage address poverty?A: Raising the
minimum wage would lift millions out of poverty. A full-time
minimum wage worker earns just $15,080 a year. For a family of
three, that is $4,000 below the poverty line. Raising the minimum
wage to $10.10 per hour would give minimum wage earners an
additional $4,700 per year. A recent report by Restaurant
Opportunities Centers United found that raising the minimum wage to
$10.10 per hour would lift nearly 6 million workers out of
poverty.
Q: If you raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, why not
raise it to $25, $50, or even higher?
A: No ones calling for the minimum wage to be at $50 per hour.
The goal of a minimum wage is for people who work full-time to be
paid enough to make ends meet, which the current $7.25 does not do.
A full-time worker earning the minimum wage makes just $15,080 a
year. Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would increase yearly
earnings to $19,777. If the minimum wage from the late 60s was
indexed to inflation, it would now be well over $10.50 an hour. (It
is notable that Congress links individual campaign contribution
limits to inflation, but not the minimum wage.) An increase in the
minimum wage to $10.10 would restore some of the buying power thats
been eroded from low-wage workers over the last half century. If
the minimum wage had kept pace with increases in worker
productivity, then it would be about $18 per hour.
Live the Wage Challenge & Follow-upJuly 24th 2014 marked 5
years since the last federal minimum wage increase and America cant
wait any longer. While corporate profits and CEO salaries
skyrocket, the minimum wage remains stuck at $7.25 an hour, well
below the poverty line. We need to raise the minimum wage so that
workers have more money to support themselves and their families.
More money for workers means more customers for businesses. More
customers means more jobs and a stronger economy for everyone. Its
time for action. To mark to anniversary of the last time the wage
was raised, people across the countryincluding policy experts,
elected officials, and advocatesjoined the national movement to
raise the minimum wage by taking the Live the Wage Challenge to see
what its like to live in the shoes of a minimum worker by
attempting to live on a budget of $77 for a week. The Challenge is
over, time for accountability. Now that the challenge is over it is
time to ask your legislator a simple question. Do they support
raising the minimum wage? If not, will they take the challenge.Key
Points On Raising the Minimum Wage:Raising the minimum wage to
$10.10 would raise wages for 28 million workers by $35 billion.
More money in the pockets of American workers means more spent at
Americas businesses, growing our economy and creating more jobs.
Minimum wage workers havent gotten a raise in five years, while the
cost of gas, milk and food have climbed, leaving hard-working
Americans even further behind. These workers are mostly women and
are 35 years old on average
Questions For Your Elected Official: Knowing that the minimum
wage is not a living wage, why do you oppose raising the minimum
wage and ensuring hard-working Americans receive a fair wage for
their work?Since you oppose raising the minimum wage, would you
take the Live the Wage Challenge and try to understand the
challenges of living on the minimum wage?
Hold Members of Congress Accountable Sample TweetsA minority of
the Senate blocked a raise for 28 million Americans #livethewage
#raisethewage [insert senators-leaving-tw graphic]Also share the
Senators-Leaving-FB graphic on Facebook@joniernst if you don't want
to #RaiseTheWage, then you should try to #LiveTheWage -- $77 for
one week. livethewage.com@SenScottBrown since you wouldn't
#RaiseTheWage, would you #LiveTheWage to see challenges a min. wage
worker faces? livethewage.com@Team_Mitch these leaders walked in
the shoes of a minimum wage worker for one week - will you
#LiveTheWage?
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/07/what-happened-when-3-politicians-tried-to-eat-on-minimum-wage-budget/
Sample Press ReleaseFor Immediate Release [DATE]Contact[Add a
name, email and phone for the person/s at your organization who can
respond to inquiries]
[Organizations name] calls on [your state]s elected officials in
Congress to restore a strong minimum wage for Americas workers and
lift millions families out of poverty by supporting the Fair
Minimum Wage Act
Raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 would raise wages
for [click here for your states data] workers and create [your
states data] jobs in [your state]
[Insert Organizations City] Leaders from [organizations name]
called on [your state]s elected leaders in Congress to support the
Fair Minimum Wage Act to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10,
which would help nearly 28 million American workers make ends meet
and enable the parents of more than 21 million children to get a
raise [click here for your states data] people in [your state].
More than four years after the end of the Great Recession, not only
have wages for low- and middle-income workers yet to recover, but
low-wage jobs have dominated job growth.
The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, which
translates to just $15,080 per year for a full-time worker, far
below the poverty line for a family of three. This level is decades
out of date, and the federal minimum wage for tipped workers$2.13
per hourhasnt increased in more than 20 years. If the minimum wage
from the late 60s was indexed to inflation, it would now be well
over $10.50 an hour. Raising the wage would also take a huge step
toward closing the gender wage gap; about two-thirds of all workers
who were paid the minimum wage or less were women.
[Quote from one of your organizations leaders about the urgent
need to raise the minimum wage so that the economy works for
everyone, not just those at the very top.]
Raising the wage will also power economic recovery and growth by
boosting consumer demand as low-income workers spend their
additional income at local businesses. The Fair Minimum Wage Act
would result in more than $32 billion in new economic activity
nationally and bring [click here for your states data] full-time
jobs to [your state]. The notion that raising the minimum wage
would result in fewer jobs simply isnt supported by the
overwhelming majority of research.
Millions of low-wage workers look to public assistance programs
such as SNAP for help because their wages that are too low to
provide basic necessities for their families. Increasing the
minimum wage would lower costs for taxpayers because as wages
increased, low-wage workers would rely less on nutrition assistance
to put food on the table. Raising the wage to $10.10 an hour will
generate $4.6 billion in annual savings in the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, formerly known as food stamps,
or approximately $46 billion over ten years. Corporations must stop
asking taxpayers to foot the bill for supplementing low wages when
they can more than afford to pay a higher wage.
[Organization] calls on [your state]s elected leaders to support
the Fair Minimum Wage Act which would allow Americans who work hard
to get ahead while boosting the economy. Too many American workers
are earning poverty wagesits time for working families to get the
raise they deserve. Sample Op-Ed/Letters to the EditorIts Time to
Raise the Minimum Wage from a Poverty Wage
Right now our economy isnt working for everyone too many
Americans are working full-time hours at multiple jobs that dont
pay enough to lift their families out of poverty.
The federal minimum wage is stuck at $7.25 per hour. That
translates to $15,080 annually for a full-time worker, far below
the poverty line for a family of three. In the late 1960s the
minimum wage was sufficient to lift a family of three out of
poverty. Had it been indexed to inflation it would now stand at
more than $10.50 per hour and still meet that historic
standard.
Fortunately, the Fair Minimum Wage Act would increase the
minimum wage to $10.10 per hour and index it to inflation. This
would enable a full-time worker to earn $19,777 annually, meaning
that hard work would once again lift a small family out of poverty.
It would boost the wages of 28 million workersincluding 17 million
womenby $35 billion. In [your state], raising the wage will create
[enter your state data] jobs and effect [enter your state data]
workers.
Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour would also help
those earning just above the minimum wage. More than 21 million
children have at least one parent whose pay would go up as a result
of passing this legislation. Despite what opponents to raising the
wage would have you believe, these workers arent teenagers flipping
burgers: the average worker who would benefit from this wage
increase is 35 years old.
Over the past several decades, worker productivity has risen
dramatically, but American workers arent reaping the benefits. If
the minimum wage had kept pace with increased worker productivity
it would be more $18 per hour today. Todays workers are more
educated and more productive than ever before, but the minimum wage
of $7.25 per hour is 31 percent lower than its value in 1968.
When workers make more money, they immediately spend it on basic
goods and services like housing, food, and gas. This boost in
demand will help stimulate and grow the economy by $32.6 billion.
That money is funneled back to businesses large and small as they
hire more workers to keep pace with increased demand, reinforcing a
virtuous circle that will help build an economy that works for
everyone. Raising the wage to $10.10 will also save taxpayers $46
billion over ten years as theyll no longer have to foot the bill
for supplementing Americans low wages that corporations can afford
to pay.More than half of the states that raised the minimum wage
during periods of high unemployment saw the unemployment rate
decrease over the next 12 months. According to the Economic Policy
Institute, raising the wage to $10.10 will create 85,000 new
full-time jobs. It will also reduce employee turnover, increase
employee productivity and loyalty, and increase profits.
Its long past time that Congress listens to 84% of the American
people who support increasing the minimum wage to at least $10.10
per hour. We need to grow our economy in a way that works for
everyone, not just those at the very top. Restoring a strong
minimum wage is one key step towards achieving that goal.
Live the Wage Challenge Accountability [Las week], progressive
legislators around the nation stood with minimum wage workers by
participating in the Live The Wage Challenge and trying to live on
a minimum wage budget. These representatives, who already supported
an increase in the federal minimum wage, now know more than ever
the urgent need to raise the wage. So many of us are forced to
choose between copays and groceries, between spending time at work
and spending time with our children, and between taking care of our
families and taking care of ourselvesall while working full-time
jobs and living paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet. However, in
April, Senate Republicans blocked a bill to raise the minimum wage
to $10.10 and give 28 million Americans a raise. And in 2013,
Representatives [X] and [Y] here in [STATE] voted against a minimum
wage increase.These legislators, and all opponents of raising the
minimum wage, should try living on the minimum wage. The $7.25
minimum wage hasnt gone up in five years, even as life has gotten
more expensive and the reality is that most people working minimum
wage jobs are adults with families to support. Im certain that if
Rep. [X], Rep. [Y] and Sen. [Z] take the Live The Wage Challenge,
they will have a much harder time tell hard-working Americans they
dont deserve a raise.
Tell Your Story and Take Action
A project of Half in Ten and the Coalition on Human NeedsWe need
your help to explain why raising the minimum wage is crucial for
millions of working families and to push back on false narratives
about low-income families. All of us need to speak out to media and
policymakers in support of raising the wage.Our American Story is a
community of low-income families, service providers, and other
community leaders working to expand economic opportunity for all
through the power of their personal stories. Contributors to Our
American Story speak personally about how they or people they know
have been helped by child care, nutrition assistance, job training,
early learning programs, affordable housing, health coverage,
low-income tax credits, and other vital services. The Half in Ten
campaign and the Coalition on Human Needs manage the Our American
Story network and work to connect storytellers with action
opportunities, the media, policymakers, and other influential
audiences.Contributors to Our American Story submit their
storieseither as a short video clip or in written formto Half in
Ten and the Coalition on Human Needs. Stories are then posted to
the Our American Story website (http://halfinten.org/stories) and
shared as part of advocacy efforts to protect human needs programs
and lay the groundwork for proactive policies that help vulnerable
families. Submit your story today and help us spread the word in
communities across the country about why raising the minimum wage
is so important for you, your family, and/or the people you serve.
To share your story and join the Our American Story community,
visit http://halfinten.org/stories/submit. After you submit your
story, we will reach out to you to welcome you and follow up with
next steps. Please urge your friends or colleagues who might have a
story to share their stories with us too. Feel free to contact
[email protected] with any questions.With your help, we can raise
our collective voice in support of a strong safety netincluding
higher wagesand do more to help struggling families and communities
get back on their feet. Share your story today!
Join the #TalkPoverty Online Movement#TalkPoverty is a network
of social media activists who use Twitter, Facebook and other
platforms to share resources and raise their voices in support of
low-income families. Sign-up for the #TalkPoverty network today to
receive news and updates geared toward online social media
activists including:- National action campaign opportunities-
Social media training and resources- Opportunities to amplify and
increase your individual and organizational social media reach-
Sample tweets, infographics, and other shareable resourcesJoin the
movement and speak out to raise the minimum wage!Sign-up to join
the campaign at: halfinten.org/talkpovertyLike #Talkpoverty on
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TalkPoverty Follow Half in Ten on
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/halfinten
Here are some sample tweets to get you started:Take Action: Tell
Congress its time 28mil working Americans stop struggling! Enter
zip --> http://bit.ly/UZftSc @HalfinTen #raisethewage Want to
know how to make the case that we must #RaisetheWage? Download
@HalfinTens toolkit today! [insert toolkit link] #talkpoverty
FACT: To cut poverty & stop rising inequality we must
#raisethewage http://bit.ly/1cyfoJM via @HalfinTen
pic.twitter.com/3We4SeNjXJ
To cut poverty every worker must earn a living wage
http://bit.ly/1cyfoJM pic.twitter.com/SIFkDwjJOGvia
@HalfinTen#RaiseTheWage#talkpoverty
Refer to the chart below with the state-by-state effects of
raising the wage to customize the following tweets for your
state:In [your state] [x] people will gain full time jobs if we
#RaisetheWgae to $10.10 #talkpoverty[x] peoples wages in [your
state] will be effected if we #RaisetheWage #talkpovertyHow many
jobs will your state gain if we #RaisetheWage? Check out your state
data via @HalfinTen#talkpoverty
State-by-State Impact of Raising the Minimum WageAccording to
the Economic Policy Institute, raising the minimum wage to $10.10
would raise the wages of nearly 28 million workers while creating
roughly 85,000 new jobs. Plug in and use these state-by-state
impact numbers as you develop advocacy materials to urge Congress
to raise the wage for millions of working families struggling in an
economy thats failing them.The Table below shows the estimated
effects of raising the minimum wage to $10.10 by 2016 (when it
would be fully phased in) for each state. In 18 states, more than
500,000 workers will be affected.
Shareable Charts and InfographicsFrom Half in Ten and the Center
for American Progress:
Share with http://bit.ly/1eUZxcd
Watch and share this video http://bit.ly/US1iyq.
Watch and share this video (http://bit.ly/M8pA3d) which includes
the need to raise the minimum wage.
Share with http://bit.ly/1pAXSvc.
Share with http://bit.ly/1cyfoJM Share with
http://bit.ly/1dMqEzw
Share with http://bit.ly/1i8YdQx From the Economic Policy
Institute:
Share with http://bit.ly/1k4jVqE
Share with http://bit.ly/1gvVHD8
Share with http://bit.ly/1k4jVqE
Share with http://bit.ly/1l1ZO07
Share with http://bit.ly/MMbODv
From the National Employment Law Project:
Share with http://bit.ly/1y2hppV. From the National Low Income
Housing Coalition:
Share with http://bit.ly/1pWqV9T.
Other Resources:6 Surprising Facts About the Minimum Wage
(video)The Benefits of Increasing the Minimum Wage for People of
ColorIncreasing the Minimum Wage Helps Our Nations VeteransTake
Action: Urge Congress to Raise the Minimum Wage (action
alert)Raising the Minimum Wage Would Help, Not Hurt, Our
EconomyInfographic: Taxpayers Pick Up the Tab for Corporations that
Can Afford to Pay Their Employees MoreInfographic: Raising the
Minimum WageRaising the Minimum Wage Would Boost the Incomes of
Millions of Women and Their FamiliesRaising the Federal Minimum
Wage to $10.10 Would Lift Wages for Millions and Provide a Modest
Economic BoostReal Family Values: Raising the Federal Minimum
WageLow-Wage Workers Have Far More Education than They Did in 1968,
Yet They Make Far LessThe Minimum Wage Used to Be Enough To Keep
Workers Out of Poverty Its Not AnymoreLow-wage Workers Are Older
Than You Think5 Things We Can Do to Cut Poverty Today (video)6
Policies to Combat InequalityThe War on Poverty Then and Now:
Applying Lessons Learned to the Challenges and Opportunities Facing
a 21st-Century America50 Years After LBJs War on Poverty: A Study
of American Attitudes About Work, Economic Opportunity, and the
Social Safety NetResetting the Poverty Debate: State of the States
2013Resetting the Poverty Debate: Renewing Our Commitment to Shared
Prosperity
