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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz speaks to supporters on May 17, 2022 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
In a statement on Monday marking 13 years since the federal minimum wage was last raised, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman challenged his ultra-millionaire Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz, to live on $7.25 an hour, which is also the hourly pay floor in Pennsylvania.
"Another year, still no change to our shitty $7.25 an hour minimum wage," said Fetterman, the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor whose populist campaign has attacked Oz as an out-of-touch carpetbagger running to serve the interests of wealthy elites and powerful corporations.
"He should be forced to live on $7.25 an hour so that he can demonstrate to all of us how it's possible."
Oz, a former celebrity television personality who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, boasts a net worth of over $100 million.
"My opponent Dr. Oz doesn't care about the people across Pennsylvania who are hurting, and he doesn't even believe that our embarrassingly low minimum wage needs to be increased," Fetterman declared. "So since Dr. Oz, who owns 11 homes around the world including several multimillion-dollar mansions, thinks that our minimum wage is a livable wage, then he should be forced to live on $7.25 an hour so that he can demonstrate to all of us how it's possible."
The federal minimum wage was raised from $5.15 to $7.25 on July 24, 2009 as part of a series of meager increases approved by Congress two years earlier. As Fetterman emphasized Monday, "because of inflation, the minimum wage today is worth 27% less than it was worth 13 years ago, and 40% less than 1968."
"People across Pennsylvania are hurting, they are struggling," he added.
Fetterman has vowed to support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour if elected. Such a change would boost the pay of around 32 million workers across the United States, according to an analysis published last year by the Economic Policy Institute.
"It is way past time that we finally raised it to at least $15 an hour," Fetterman tweeted earlier this month. "All workers deserve the dignity of a living wage."
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
In a statement on Monday marking 13 years since the federal minimum wage was last raised, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman challenged his ultra-millionaire Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz, to live on $7.25 an hour, which is also the hourly pay floor in Pennsylvania.
"Another year, still no change to our shitty $7.25 an hour minimum wage," said Fetterman, the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor whose populist campaign has attacked Oz as an out-of-touch carpetbagger running to serve the interests of wealthy elites and powerful corporations.
"He should be forced to live on $7.25 an hour so that he can demonstrate to all of us how it's possible."
Oz, a former celebrity television personality who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, boasts a net worth of over $100 million.
"My opponent Dr. Oz doesn't care about the people across Pennsylvania who are hurting, and he doesn't even believe that our embarrassingly low minimum wage needs to be increased," Fetterman declared. "So since Dr. Oz, who owns 11 homes around the world including several multimillion-dollar mansions, thinks that our minimum wage is a livable wage, then he should be forced to live on $7.25 an hour so that he can demonstrate to all of us how it's possible."
The federal minimum wage was raised from $5.15 to $7.25 on July 24, 2009 as part of a series of meager increases approved by Congress two years earlier. As Fetterman emphasized Monday, "because of inflation, the minimum wage today is worth 27% less than it was worth 13 years ago, and 40% less than 1968."
"People across Pennsylvania are hurting, they are struggling," he added.
Fetterman has vowed to support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour if elected. Such a change would boost the pay of around 32 million workers across the United States, according to an analysis published last year by the Economic Policy Institute.
"It is way past time that we finally raised it to at least $15 an hour," Fetterman tweeted earlier this month. "All workers deserve the dignity of a living wage."
In a statement on Monday marking 13 years since the federal minimum wage was last raised, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman challenged his ultra-millionaire Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz, to live on $7.25 an hour, which is also the hourly pay floor in Pennsylvania.
"Another year, still no change to our shitty $7.25 an hour minimum wage," said Fetterman, the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor whose populist campaign has attacked Oz as an out-of-touch carpetbagger running to serve the interests of wealthy elites and powerful corporations.
"He should be forced to live on $7.25 an hour so that he can demonstrate to all of us how it's possible."
Oz, a former celebrity television personality who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, boasts a net worth of over $100 million.
"My opponent Dr. Oz doesn't care about the people across Pennsylvania who are hurting, and he doesn't even believe that our embarrassingly low minimum wage needs to be increased," Fetterman declared. "So since Dr. Oz, who owns 11 homes around the world including several multimillion-dollar mansions, thinks that our minimum wage is a livable wage, then he should be forced to live on $7.25 an hour so that he can demonstrate to all of us how it's possible."
The federal minimum wage was raised from $5.15 to $7.25 on July 24, 2009 as part of a series of meager increases approved by Congress two years earlier. As Fetterman emphasized Monday, "because of inflation, the minimum wage today is worth 27% less than it was worth 13 years ago, and 40% less than 1968."
"People across Pennsylvania are hurting, they are struggling," he added.
Fetterman has vowed to support raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour if elected. Such a change would boost the pay of around 32 million workers across the United States, according to an analysis published last year by the Economic Policy Institute.
"It is way past time that we finally raised it to at least $15 an hour," Fetterman tweeted earlier this month. "All workers deserve the dignity of a living wage."