Burger: House Did the Right Thing on Minimum Wage

Urges Senate to Follow Their Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, January 11, 2007

Contact: Chris Ortman (202) 721-0660
chris.ortman@changetowin.org 

WASHINGTON, DC -- Following is a statement from Anna Burger, chair of Change to Win, on the passage of a minimum wage increase yesterday in the House of Representatives.  

“Yesterday, the House took an important step towards helping nearly 13 million workers who desperately need a raise.

“In November, American voters elected a new Congress because no matter what the experts say about the economy, working families are falling behind.  We are pleased to see the House is listening to working families and acting on the issues that matter most to them.

“We are also pleased that representatives from both parties showed true leadership by overwhelmingly passing a minimum wage bill free of perks for the wealthy or tax cuts for businesses.

“We urge the Senate to do the same. Low-wage workers have waited for a decade – there is no reason that the incomes of the poorest Americans should be held hostage to favors being sought by special interests.

“If we expect Americans to work hard, we need to make work pay. That means helping every American achieve the American Dream – a paycheck that supports a family, affordable health care, a secure retirement, and most of all, a better life for our kids.”