Make Them Vote

March 3, 2014

Right now, conservative leaders in the U.S. House are refusing to allow a vote on increasing the minimum wage! Even as a new poll shows that 73 percent of Americans want an increase.

Call 866-204-2557 (it’s toll-free) to be connected to your representative. We need as many U.S. representatives as possible to hear this message: workers deserve a vote on the minimum wage (and a raise)!

Raising the minimum wage is wildly popular with the American people. That’s why we’re starting to see progress. In recent weeks, President Obama announced raising the wage for employees of federal contractors to $10.10. Gap Inc. made a public splash with plans to raise its wage — to $9 in 2014 and $10 in 2015 — for approximately 65,000 store employees. The Congressional Budget Office issued a new report finding that raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 would benefit millions of workers and lift 900,000 people out of poverty.  

Opponents of fair wages are digging in their heels. But we have moral power and strength in numbers. We can convince the U.S. House to vote on fair wages for workers.

The first step is to call your representative today at 866-204-2557 (toll-free). 

Say the following:

• Hello, my name is [first and last name], and I live in [city, state].
• I urge my representative to call for a vote in the U.S. House on the Miller Fair Minimum Wage Act.
• And I ask that my representative then vote in favor of the bill, which would increase the federal minimum wage and the minimum wage paid to tipped workers.

That’s all you need to say! If you’d like to make additional points, you could also add these:

• It’s a moral outrage that the current regular minimum wage is $7.25 per hour and the tipped minimum wage is $2.13 per hour.
• The minimum wage should be raised to at least $10.10 per hour, and the tipped minimum needs to be at least 70 percent of that.
• The bill number for the Miller Fair Minimum Wage Act is H. 1010 (in case you are asked when you call).
• The minimum wage is more than a political issue — it is a moral issue.

It seems simple: The American public favors raising the minimum wage. It’s a moral imperative. Our elected representatives should bring a minimum wage increase to a vote. Call 866-204-2557 (toll-free) and tell your representative that workers deserve a vote on the minimum wage (and a raise)!