Linda McMahon's assault on the minimum wage shows whose side she is on

Questioning the Minimum Wage During These Economic Times Make Her A Questionable Choice to Serve as Connecticut's Voice in the U.S. Senate

Hartford, CT - Corporate CEO Linda McMahon called for Congress to lower the minimum wage today at a press event where she accepted the endorsement of a pro-business lobbying group in her bid for Connecticut's open U.S. Senate seat.

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 Executive Director Robert Rinker made the following statement in response to McMahon's comments:

The closest that CEO Linda McMahon has ever come to the middle class was standing next to a lunch box in a political commercial.

"Ten years ago, school bus monitors in Hartford were struggling with poverty level earnings. Our Union fought for a living wage law in the city, and then held student transportation contractors accountable to it once it passed. Today, the capitol city' school bus monitors -- who assure the safety of special needs children -- can afford to support themselves and their families.

"That's the kind of solution for moving more workers into the middle class that Connecticut needs. What we don't need in the U.S. Senate is someone who puts Wall Street fat cats, hedge fund managers and rich CEO's ahead of the rest of us.

President of District 1199/SEIU Carmen Boudier made the following statement in response to McMahon's position on the minimum wage:

"Anyone running for public office ought to understand that when you pull the floor out from under low-wage workers, the middle class slides backward.

"When I began my career in a nursing home, I earned $1.20 an hour. Today, too many nursing home workers still struggle to provide for themselves and their children on wages that are far too low for Connecticut's high cost of living. That's why our Union has fought to raise standards in the industry and empower more care providers to lift themselves into the middle class.

"CEO Linda McMahon is flat out wrong when she says Congress should lower the minimum wage. What she doesn't realize is that 75 years ago the minimum wage laid the foundation for the American middle class."

The working families of CSEA and District 1199 have joined with the SEIU Connecticut State Council in endorsing Attorney General Richard Blumenthal for the U.S. Senate. In making their choice to back Blumenthal, members cited his long public service record, clear positions in support of middle class families and the stark contrast he offers in comparison to McMahon.

CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 and District 1199/SEIU represent healthcare and service employees in Connecticut's public and private sectors. Both locals are affiliated with the 2-million strong Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the largest and fastest growing labor organization in the nation.

With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in North America. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers -- not just corporations and CEOs -- benefit from today's global economy.

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