« Why the Fight for 15? Why JLC? Why Me? | Main | Jewish Labor Committee Condemns Hate Speech against Members of Congress for Positions on Proposed Iran Nuclear Deal »

Please sign this petition to U.S. Congress to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour

You’re invited to sign this petition, online here [along with some background]!

To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
From: [Your Name]

We call on Congress to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, linked to cost-of-living increases so that the lowest-paid among us are able to earn a living wage. And if Congress refuses, then we call on states and cities to raise their minimum wage. The current federal minimum wage is simply not enough. We have much work to do to ensure a fair and just society – and raising the federal minimum wage to make it a living wage is part of it.

3 for web Philly Fast Food Workers Strike and Rally.jpg

Bill Epstein (at right), long-time Philadelphia JLC Board member, along with representatives of the `Fight for $15' campaign to raise the hourly minimum wage in Philadelphia to $15. See more here.

EPIWhoIsHelpedMinWage.jpg

Background:
A Petition to Congress, State Legislators and City Councils

Justice, justice shall you pursue. Today the call for justice must focus on fairness and respect for working men and women in jobs across the country who do not earn enough to support themselves and their families. The situation confronting not only fast-food workers but also home health care aides, adjunct professors, airport baggage handlers and other low-wage workers is simply untenable in one of the richest societies in human history.

We call on our elected officials to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, linked to cost-of-living increases so that the lowest-paid among us are able to earn a living wage.

The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is nothing close to a living wage. If someone earning the minimum wage is fortunate enough to be able to work full-time hours (and many are not), she or he would earn only $15,080 / year, which is under the poverty line for a family of two. At the current minimum wage, workers struggle paycheck-to-paycheck, and if they are able to pay all their bills at the end of the month, they are not able to save anything for an emergency, let alone for their retirement, or additional education.

Today’s rock-bottom federal minimum wage is holding millions of Americans back from being able to reach their highest potential. Sadly, many people who have started community college or career education programs have to drop out after getting their hours cut at work or when an unforeseen emergency made tuition impossible to afford. With a $15 per hour minimum wage, many would be able to finally afford to advance their educations.

Rising wages will allow millions of people across the country to lift their heads up and look towards the future with hope. But it will also benefit our economy at-large. A $15 per hour minimum wage will inject billions of dollars into local economies as many are finally able to buy basic necessities they couldn't afford before. It will also ease state budgets, as millions who currently rely on state assistance will finally be able to afford groceries and rent without public assistance.

When many of our ancestors first came to the United States, they worked low-wage jobs in the garment sector and other industries. Our lives today are better for the struggle and pain of our forebears to secure a living wage. These gains enabled our families to raise their standards of living to where they are now, but we must never forget what it took to get here.

While a number of communities across the USA have passed ordinances to raise their minimum wages to $15, and more cities and states have passed smaller minimum wage increases that are an important first step for improving workers’ lives, our obligation is not over until every working person has the ability to support their family without undue burden.

Please sign the petition online here (fill out the form to the right side of the petition, and encourage others to do so as well.