ACORN members, low wage workers celebrate as Congress increases federal minimum wageACORN:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 25, 2007
8:05 AM
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CONTACT: ACORN
Kevin Whelan 985-960-1108
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ACORN Members, Low Wage Workers Celebrate As Congress Increases Federal Minimum Wage
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WASHINGTON - MAY 25 - ACORN members celebrated a milestone in a years-long campaign for living wages after Congress approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage rate in a decade on Thursday night.
"This long-overdue wage increase will bring millions of America's hardest-working families closer to making ends meet," said ACORN President Maude Hurd. "Voters have made it clear again and again that they believe that rewarding hard work with fair pay is the right thing to do-and eventually our leaders had to follow." By a vote of 348 to 73, the House approved a measure to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour from $5.15 in three stages over two years. The wage increase was approved in the Senate soon after, where it was combined with a bill providing more money for the Iraq war. "We will keep fighting until the minimum wage is a living wage," Hurd added. "The minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation; we will continue to work with our allies in Congress and around the country to see minimum wage return to something that can help sustain a working family."
On Election Day 2006, ACORN members in four states -- Missouri, Arizona, Colorado, and Ohio - celebrated the overwhelming success of ballot initiative campaigns to raise the minimum wage and index the wage to inflation. Working with a wide range of partners, ACORN initiated and organized these campaigns and coordinated signature-gathering that qualified them for the ballot. ACORN then ran ambitious field operations - especially in MO and OH, where thousands of members, volunteers and staff participated. The campaigns delivered a raise to 1.5 million workers and demonstrated broad public support for fair wages.
ACORN has pushed for local "living wage" laws in and states around the country for a decade, passing dozens of such policies. .
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ACORN is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 350,000 member families organized into more than 1000 neighborhood chapters in 103 cities across the country. Since 1970 ACORN has taken action and won victories on issues of concern to our members. Our priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more investment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools. ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Learn more at www.acorn.org and www.raisewages.org .
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