"Reality Check" on Minimum Wage

I have lived in Atlanta for just three years but yesterday, July 24, was one of the best "organizing" days I have had here. July 24 marked the beginning of a new federal minimum wage, $5.85 an hour.

While Democrats were whooping it up in Washington, the Georgia Living Wage Coalition organized a "Reality Check" press conference featuring a giant check that was provided by UUSC to dramatize that $5.85 "ain't no big deal." The theme (and chant) that ran through a crowd of over 50 coalition members was "Not enough!"

It was compellingly amplified by several speakers, including a waitress, a home health care worker, and two state legislators. Lilo Miller, the waitress, said working at her current job at $6.25/hr, "there's no way I can support my kids." The health care worker said that while she loves her job, she just can't make it on $5.85 an hour.

Why was this one of my better "organizing" days? You never know when you do a press conference if the press will actually show up. With football star Michael Vick all over our news, we had cause to be worried. But first one, and then another, tv crew arrived. By the end of the event, all major stations were there.

It was a good day in Georgia "shaking the peachtree."