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Statement

Raise the Wage Act Would Provide Essential Boost for Moms, Families

January 26, 2021
Workplace Justice

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of leaders of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on today’s he upcoming introduction of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, announced today:

“The pandemic has exposed an urgent need for sweeping national policy solutions to help moms, families, businesses and our economy. Structural inequality and discrimination have left many women -- particularly moms who are Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) – in continued financial crisis, and the pandemic has made it even worse. Many working people, including millions of women of color and essential workers, are not paid a living wage. Nobody should work full-time and still live in poverty, which hurts families, businesses, and our economy too.

“The best solution is the Raise the Wage Act, which would finally put our country on the road to ensuring all working people, including tipped workers and workers with disabilities, are paid a living wage. It is appalling that the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 per hour, and that the federal tipped minimum wage at $2.13 per hour, for more than a decade. We have seen in ballot measure votes, even in red states, that voters strongly support a higher minimum wage -- and numerous studies have shown that raising the wage raises our families and our economy.

“We commend U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (VA) and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (VT)  for introducing and championing the Raise the Wage Act and recognize the Fight for $15 movement’s tireless organizing. Our country simply cannot recover from the pandemic and rebuild our economy unless all workers are paid a living wage. America’s moms will accept nothing less.”

-Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

“The federal minimum wage has been inadequate for much too long and, as a result, millions of women and other workers are struggling terribly. Moms across the country need a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour in order to be able to stay above the poverty line and afford necessities including food, rent, clothing, childcare, and health care. Also essential and badly overdue is an end to the subminimum wage for tipped and disabled workers and youth, which devastates so many moms and women, especially moms and women of color. The Raise the Wage Act would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025, giving 23 million working people the raise they deserve, and it would phase out the subminimum wage, which is a legacy of slavery.

“Now more than ever, as we try to recover from COVID-19, our families, our communities and our economy urgently need the boost enacting the Raise the Wage Act would provide.”

-Statement of Ruth Martin, Vice President and Chief Workplace Justice Officer, MomsRising

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.