NWLC Applauds House Passage of the Raise the Wage Act

(Washington, D.C.) Today the House of Representatives voted to pass the Raise the Wage Act, a bill that will raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour by 2025 and provide for automatic annual increases thereafter so that the minimum wage continues to rise along with wages overall. It will also phase out the lower minimum wages that employers have been permitted to pay tipped workers, young workers, and people with disabilities, so that everyone can benefit from a fair minimum wage.

The following is a statement from Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center:

“This is an historic, bipartisan vote for millions of working people—especially for women, who are the majority of workers who will see bigger paychecks thanks to the Raise the Wage Act. Across the country, child care workers, home care workers, and so many other hardworking women and men will be able to move out of poverty and toward economic security. Restaurant servers, bartenders, and other tipped workers—who have been left behind in every previous federal minimum wage increase—will finally be able to depend on a decent paycheck from their employer along with their tips. And all of us will benefit from an economy that values everyone’s work.

“Today’s vote is a testament to the power of working people coming together to demand what they are owed. We never would have gotten here without the Fight for $15 and the tipped workers, young workers, and people with disabilities who demanded nothing less than $15 an hour for everyone. The Senate must take up this critical bill right away and bring us one step closer to making a $15 minimum wage a reality nationwide.”

For immediate release: July 18, 2019
Contact: LySaundra Campbell ([email protected])