Issued January 16, 2019
Washington, D.C.—In response to Monday’s announcement that Congressional Democrats plan to introduce legislation Wednesday raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry issued the following statement:
“There’s one reason why Congress is talking about a federal minimum wage of $15 an hour today—because thousands of workers joined together, went on strike, and demanded it. By sticking together on the job and acting like a union, workers in the Fight for $15 completely changed what’s possible, and made $15 an hour the new baseline for decent pay in America.
“Everyone who works—no matter where they are from or what the color of their skin is—deserves to be paid enough to lead a decent life and provide for their family, and that’s what a $15 minimum wage will do.
“The Fight for $15 has proven that sticking together and having the power of a union is the only way to challenge the rigged economy that keeps working people of all backgrounds—Black, white and brown—behind. This movement will not stop until workers across the country win the $15 an hour and union rights they’ve demanded since Day One.”
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