Pictured here: People cheer the moment the minimum wage bill passes in the Seattle City Council.
There have been a lot of minimum wage victories in the news lately. Yesterday, the Seattle City Council unanimously voted to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Last week, Michigan’s governor signed into law a bill that gradually will raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.40 an hour to $9.25 an hour by 2018. And in California, the State Senate voted 21-12 to raise the minimum wage to at least $13 per hour by 2017.
The victories prove that raising the minimum wage is embraced by the majority of Americans and it shows that when many different groups—labor, business, community, progressive and nonprofits—band together, the power of the people is heard.
CCCAction is proud to have worked with allies on these victories, and we are committed to raising the minimum wage so that everyone makes a fair wage that provides them with enough money to thrive and save for the future.
Currently, 34 states are considering raising their minimum wage rates, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Raising the minimum wage garnered huge momentum after fast-food workers started to call for higher wage and better working conditions. Seven states have passed legislation raising their minimum wages this year. And cities like San Francisco; San Jose, CA; and Santa Fe, New Mexico are weighing raising their minimum wage rates.
The past two weeks have highlighted the hard work being done by our allies. Click here to congratulate Seattle on this groundbreaking victory, and stay tuned for more news on our minimum wage efforts!