online petition to raise the minimum wage

[Omaha Steve]

It’s time to raise the minimum wage!

Despite being the richest country in the world, we now have 37 million Americans, including 13 million children, living in poverty. In fact, the poverty rate for full-time, year round workers has increased 50% since the late 1970’s. And, while CEO-pay soars to obscene levels, the minimum wage for America’s workers has fallen to a 50-year low.

It’s outrageous.

But, while the American public overwhelmingly supports raising the minimum wage, big corporations, like Wal-Mart, through its industry lobbyists and right-wing politicians are standing in the way.

That ends today! It’s time to take our country back from billion dollar corporations, like Wal-Mart, and fight for the American people.

Please sign our petition calling on the U.S. Congress to raise the minimum wage:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/minwage/petition.html

Unfortunately, under President Bush and the Republican Party, Wal-Mart and big corporations have been able to use our government to line their own pockets at the expense of the American people.

Rather than stand up for America, Wal-Mart uses its influence to ship our jobs overseas, not provide company health care to more than half of its employees, and pay poverty-level wages. We cannot allow Wal-Mart and corporate America to take our country in the wrong direction.

It’s time to stand up for America’s workers and raise the minimum wage.

Please sign our petition calling on the U.S. Congress to raise the minimum wage:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/minwage/petition.html

As you know, our campaign is not just a fight to change Wal-Mart; it is a fight for what kind of America we want to live in. Raising the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour will benefit 15 million Americans, including 9 million women and 6 million people of color.

Only you have the power to take back America and give America’s workers a raise.

Please take action today,

Paul Blank
WakeUpWalMart.com

P.S. Please send this email to at least 5 friends and ask them to join you in our fight to raise the minimum wage.

[Breeze54]

1. I already signed it! or

is this another one? :shrug:
WakeUpWalmart e-mails me all the time! ;)

[inthebrain]

2. The minumum wage needs to be adjusted

to at least $10.00 an hour.

$7.25 an hour still puts the wage behind inflation. Adjusted for inflation it would need to be at least $8.00 an hour to match what it was 30 years ago.

A friend of mine was recently offered a job for $7.50 an hour at ING direct through a staffing firm. HOW DISGUSTING IS THAT!!!!!!

[Breeze54]

4. It actually should be $23.03/hour !! (or would be!)

Debunking Conservative Rhetoric: How Increasing the Minimum Wage Benefits All Americans

Hard working Americans who work forty hours a week and earn the minimum wage still find themselves living below the poverty line, yet America’s CEOs enjoy great wage prosperity. In fact, had workers’ wages increased at the same rate as CEO pay since 1990, the minimum wage would now be $23.03/hour and the average production worker would be making $110,126/year instead of $27,460.
Furthermore, members of Congress own salaries have gone by $31,600 since the last time they voted to increase the minimum wage.

While progressives are fighting to change the injustice of such wage disparity, conservatives have abandoned the American worker. Conservatives argue that increasing the minimum wage harms the economy by: (1) negatively impacting small business; (2) forcing job loss; (3) creating inflated wages all while only benefiting teenagers.

Here are the facts: http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=1453117

The following further details the beneficial impact minimum wage increases have on women, minorities, taxpayers and business.

Working women and minorities especially benefit from a raise in the minimum wage: Approximately 11 million women and their families would be directly affected by a one dollar increase in the minimum wage. Similarly, 18.1 percent of African-American workers and 14.4 percent of Hispanic workers would directly benefit from such an increase. In addition, 7.3 million workers who currently earn up to $7.25/hour would benefit directly from an increase in the minimum wage while 8.2 million who earn slightly more than $7.25/hour would benefit form the spillover effect of a raise in the minimum wage.

more at link....

[Breeze54]

3. States Take the Lead in Increasing the Minimum Wage

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=1453117

States Take the Lead in Increasing the Minimum Wage

Since 1997, 18 states and the District of Columbia have raised their minimum wage above the federal level. A map from the Department of Labor outlines those states with wages above the federal minimum as well states with a minimum wage matching the federal level, states with a minimum wage lower than the federal and states with no minimum wage at all.

Note: On January 1, 2006, minimum wage increases went into effect in seven states. Washington, which has the highest minimum wage in the nation, jumped to $7.63/hour. Oregon is now at $7.50/hour. Vermont is at $7.25/hour. Connecticut is now at $7.40/hour. New York and Hawaii are now both at $6.75/hour and Florida is at $6.40/hour. On Jan. 17, Maryland became the eighth state to raise its minimum wage this year when the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Gov. Robert Ehrlich's veto of a bill raising the state's minimum wage from $5.15/hour to $6.15/hour.

States with a ballot initiative or state legislative action in 2006

In 2006, minimum wage will continue being debated through state ballot initiatives and in state legislatures. The following outlines ballot initiative and legislative activity on this issue this year.