The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

1,500 Rally to Demand Congress Raise the Minimum Wage, Cut Corporate Tax Breaks to Address Rampant Income Inequality

Growing Wage Gap, Income Inequality Spur Outrage

WASHINGTON

Today just after noon, more than 1,500 people will gather outside of the Capitol to protest the growing chasm between rich and poor Americans and call for action from Congress. Immediate demands include a raise in the minimum wage and cuts to corporate tax breaks, both key causes of rising economic inequality and the result of Congressional lawmakers who cater to out of control corporate interests. The event will come right as Congress returns from a two-week recess.

What: Rally to demand Congress address rampant income inequality by raising the minimum wage and ending tax breaks for wealthy corporations.

Who: 1,500 concerned workers and members of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, National People's Action, the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, and OurDC. Speakers will include Rep. Keith Ellison, people working at the minimum wage, and spokespeople from the above groups.

When: 12:15 pm, Monday, April 28.

Where: Upper Senate Park, Capitol Grounds.

Visuals: 1,500 workers in front of the Capitol protesting income inequality, 1,500 people marching towards the Capitol, puppets of corporate lobbyists swarming a 10 foot high Capitol building puppet, and workers carrying signs promoting working people and protesting the growing chasm between rich and poor Americans.

The rally will conclude a march from various locations across DC, if you'd like to capture visuals of the group marching in to the Capitol protest, please come a few minutes early.

For interviews with members of National People's Action, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, or the Restaurant Opportunities Center, people working at the minimum wage, or with George Goehl, Ai-jen Poo, or Saru Jayaraman, please contact Molly Haigh at 907-750-1999 or molly@fitzgibbonmedia.com

National People's Action (www.npa-us.org) is a network of 30 grassroots organizations in 17 states, with 85,00 individual members working together to advance a racial and economic justice agenda for a new economy and true democracy.

Co-founded in 2007 by award-winning social entrepreneur Ai-jen Poo ("The Nannies' Norma Rae" - New York Times and named one of the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World), the National Domestic Workers Alliance (www.domesticworkers.org) represents over 10,000 domestic workers with a base of 43 membership-based affiliate organizations of nannies, housekeepers and caregivers for the elderly located in 26 cities and 18 states around the country.

Co-founded by labor rights leader Saru Jayaraman ("One of the top 50 most influential people in the restaurant industry" -Nation's Restaurant News) ROC United has grown to over 13,000 members across 26 cities in the US, winning 13 worker-led campaigns, totaling $7 million in stolen tips and wages.

OurDC is a non-profit that fights to bring good jobs to the District of Columbia.

People's Action builds the power of poor and working people, in rural, suburban, and urban areas to win change through issue campaigns and elections.