Murray Urges Colleagues to Pass a $15 Minimum Wage

In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Patty Murray urged her colleagues to waive the Parliamentarian’s ruling and include the $15 minimum wage in the American Rescue Plan

Senator Murray: “I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment in order to give a much-needed raise to millions of workers and end the tipped minimum wage, and subminimum wage for youth workers and workers with disabilities.”

***WATCH SENATOR MURRAY’S FULL SPEECH HERE***

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), continued her fight to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour as part of the American Rescue Plan. In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Murray urged her colleagues to support the amendment she and Senator Sanders (I-VT) introduced to waive the Senate Parliamentarian’s ruling and include the Raise the Wage Act in the American Rescue Plan, which would give up to 27 million workers a raise and lift nearly one million out of poverty.

“Democrats and Republicans alike have joined together in rightly calling our essential workers ‘heroes’ and the ‘backbone of our economy.’ But despite their tireless work and the constant risk of COVID exposure, too many of these workers are paid wages so low, they can’t afford to pay for even their most basic needs,” said Senator Murray on the Senate floor. “This pandemic should be a wakeup call—that these workers who we all call ‘heroes’ deserve more than $7.25 an hour. I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment in order to give a much-needed raise to millions of workers and end the tipped minimum wage, and subminimum wage for youth workers and workers with disabilities.”

In her speech, Senator Murray stressed that increasing the minimum wage has broad public support and that she would not stop fighting to ensure all workers are paid a livable wage, including tipped workers, workers with disabilities, and youth workers.

“After more than a decade since the last federal minimum wage increase, the tides are turning and there is overwhelming support for Congress to act,” continued Senator Murray. “So let me be clear: today’s vote is just one step in our fight. We’re not going to give up.”

In January, Senator Murray re-introduced the Raise the Wage Act, with Senator Sanders and Congressman Scott, to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025 and phase out subminimum wages for tipped workers, workers with disabilities, and youth workers. 

Last week, after the Senate Parliamentarian’s announcement that the $15 minimum wage provision was not appropriate for inclusion in the American Rescue Package, Senator Murray assured workers that she would not stop fighting to give them a raise—whether through the American Rescue Plan or another legislative option.

Read Senator Murray’s remarks:

“Thank you M. President. And thank you to Senators Schumer, Wyden and Sanders for working so hard with me on making sure our relief bill includes a much-needed raise for workers.

“Democrats and Republicans alike have joined together in rightly calling our essential workers ‘heroes’ and the ‘backbone of our economy.’

“But despite their tireless work and the constant risk of COVID exposure, too many of these workers are paid wages so low, they can’t afford to pay for even their most basic needs.

“This pandemic should be a wakeup call—that these workers who we all call ‘heroes’ deserve more than $7.25 an hour.

“I urge my colleagues to vote for this amendment in order to give a much-needed raise to millions of workers and end the tipped minimum wage, and subminimum wage for youth workers and workers with disabilities.

“After more than a decade since the last federal minimum wage increase, the tides are turning and there is overwhelming support for Congress to act.

“So let me be clear: today’s vote is just one step in our fight.

“We’re not going to give up. 

“And today we are going to keep working to get this historic bill across the finish line.”

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