Minimum Wage RAISE Helps Seniors & Single Mothers

          HARRISBURG, December 6 – State Senator LeAnna M. Washington (D-Phila.) said that seniors and single mothers would benefit from a raise in the minimum wage.

          "How can these citizens live off a wage that roughly translated to $10,000 a year and be expected to survive,” Washington said.  “The current minimum wage is deplorable and must be raised.”

          At a press conference yesterday, Washington joined several Democratic Senators to ask the Republican Majority to allow a floor vote on increasing the minimum wage before the end of the year. The Senate is scheduled for six session days in December.

         “Twenty percent of senior citizens work minimum wage jobs to support their income – a great number of single mothers have minimum wage jobs to support their children,” Washington said.  “Restoring the value of the minimum wage will help these vulnerable citizens live their lives a little more comfortably.”

          Washington, a co-sponsor of legislation (Senate Bill 926), which provides for a two-step increase in the minimum wage and cost of living adjustments, said the current minimum wage of $5.15 an hour is way below the poverty line and the buying power of the minimum wage dollar is rapidly diminishing.

          “The current minimum wage makes welfare a shining beacon to those struggling to feed their families or heat their homes, Washington said.  “These families need to know that there is hope to pull them out of the despair of poverty, they need a livable wage.”