AFSCME members join call to raise minimum wage

AFSCME members were among the many on hand outside the state Capitol on April 1 when the “Give America a Raise” bus tour rolled into town, calling on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage.

The bus tour, which recently visited Chicago and Rockford, is part of a campaign by Americans United for Change to put pressure on members of Congress to back President Obama’s call for a $10.10 an hour minimum wage, which currently sits at $7.25 an hour.

The bus tour will culminate in an April 3 stop outside the United State Capitol.

“Raising the minimum wage would provide a needed boost not just for the millions of struggling low-wage American workers that can barely survive on $7.25, but for the U.S. economy as a whole,” said Brad Woodhouse, president of Americans United for Change. “It will create jobs because it puts more money in the pockets of workers who will quickly inject it back into the economy.”

One of the lawmakers opposing a minimum wage increase is Republican Sen. Mark Kirk. His Democratic colleague, Sen. Dick Durbin, spoke on the need to raise the minimum wage when the bus tour rolled through Chicago.

You can add your voice to those calling for an increase in the federal minimum wage: Contact Sen. Kirk at 202-224-2854 and tell him it’s time to give America a raise!

For more information on the campaign to raise the minimum wage, visit the Give America a Raise website.