Minimum Wage Letter/Rally
October 12, 2000
The following letter supporting a $1 increase in the
minimum wage and signed by 419 national, state, and local organizations will be released
today at a rally to be held outside the Capitol.
The rally, sponsored by the AFL-CIO, will be held at
noon on the grassy area across from the entrance to the House of Representatives. John
Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, will preside. Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Tom Daschle
(D-SD), Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO), and Rep. David Bonior (D-MI) will be among several
speakers at the event.
While the letter is being released publicly today, it
will remain open for additional sign-ons until an increase in the minimum wage is enacted
into law. Organizations that have not signed on to the letter should contact Keri
Kasalonis at the Coalition on Human Needs at klkasalonis@chn.org (preferred), or at
202-785-0791 (fax) or 202-736-5884 (phone). Please include your organization name as it
should appear in the letter and your contact information (name, email address, and phone
number).
Additional background information about the minimum
wage, including the current status of the proposed increase, can be found on CHN's web
site at: http:/www.chn.org/minimumwage/
- Patrick Lester, CHN
October 12, 2000
Dear Representative/Senator/President Clinton:
We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to support
legislation that would increase the minimum wage by at least $1 over the next two years,
while avoiding unnecessary tax cuts and damaging changes to existing labor law.
Specifically, we urge you adopt legislation that would:
Raise the Minimum Wage Now and Phase It In As Quickly As
Possible: America's minimum wage workers need a raise as soon as possible. A full time
worker making the current minimum wage only earns $10,712 per year - more than $3,000
below the poverty line for a family of three. Delaying the increase only makes matters
worse. Compared to a two year phase-in, phasing the increase in over three years would
cost a full time minimum wage worker more than $900 over two years. A two year phase-in
commands strong bipartisan support in the House. A three year phase-in period is
unacceptably long and should be rejected.
Avoid Unnecessary Tax Cuts that Primarily Benefit the
Wealthy: Minimum wage legislation recently passed by the House and Senate has been
accompanied by tax cuts that would disproportionately benefit the nation's most fortunate
citizens. When nearly one in five of our nation's children live in poverty, three out of
four third graders read below grade level, and 43 million people have no health insurance,
it is clear that there are other, more pressing needs for our limited budgetary resources.
Avoid Weakening Overtime Laws and Other Labor
Protections: Minimum wage legislation recently passed by the House would repeal overtime
protections for 1.5 million American workers. Legislation raising the minimum wage should
not be viewed as an opportunity to weaken existing labor laws.
Make the Minimum Wage Applicable to the Mariana Islands:
Workers in American territories deserve the same protections, dignity and rights as other
Americans. Any increase in the minimum wage should also apply to the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, the only U.S. territory not currently governed by federal
minimum wage law.
Why move now to increase the minimum wage? Faith-based
organizations and charities are straining to serve escalating requests for emergency food
from their pantries and soup kitchens, especially from working people. According to the
U.S. Conference of Mayors, requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average
18 percent in 1999. Sixty-seven percent of the adults requesting food assistance were
employed, but not earning enough to feed their families. Increasing the minimum wage by
one dollar to $6.15 per hour would mean an additional $2000 per year for full-time workers
-- money that could buy groceries, pay rent, or otherwise help low-income workers in need.
With 80 percent of Americans supporting a minimum wage
increase, now is the time to act on this much-needed legislation. Every day that passes
without action heightens the cost to America's low wage workers. We urge you to act
promptly to raise the minimum wage.
Sincerely,
List of National Signatories
List of State/Local Signatories