We Can Raise Pay
From the AFL-CIO
The rules of our economy have been rigged against working people for decades, but our sustained activism can raise pay and build momentum for a new economy built on broadly shared prosperity.
We raise pay by negotiating with employers. As congressional leaders were ramming through a massive tax cut for corporations, Communications Workers of America (CWA) pressured employers to use the savings to raise pay. This week, AT&T will pass along a $1,000 bonus to workers.
We raise pay at the ballot box. A national worker-led movement to raise pay will lift the minimum wage in 18 states and 20 cities on Jan. 1. Ten states passed minimum wage increases that go into effect over several years. Pay in eight other states will automatically rise to match a higher cost of living.
When our pay goes up, communities thrive. Pay raises create a virtuous cycle of higher living standards, growing consumer demand and greater business investment, which fuels a race to the top.
Working people want a fair economy with good pay and benefits and a secure retirement, and we’ll organize and mobilize to win it.
$4,784: That’s how much annual pay the GOP-controlled Missouri Legislature has taken from every St. Louis worker by lowering the city’s minimum wage from $10 an hour to $7.70.
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