Press Statement
House Passage of Raise the Wage Act Is A Victory for Women, Families and All Working People

“At a time of historic income inequality, today’s passage of the Raise the Wage Act in the U.S. House of Representatives is a victory for women, families and working people. Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour will especially help women of color, who are more likely to hold low-wage jobs due to barriers such as structural racism. This legislation will also eliminate the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, which will help close the persistent gender wage gap and diminish the workplace harassment that tipped workers are subjected to. We thank Reps. Robert Scott (D-Va.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) for championing this bill and we now look to the Senate to take swift action.

House leadership has fulfilled a promise today, but there is much more work left to do. The Raise the Wage Act is just one of the pieces of legislation aimed at creating fairer workplaces and dismantling a system that tips the scales against people of color, women and lower-wage workers. The Senate should immediately pass this bill — along with the Paycheck Fairness Act, which passed the House earlier this year. Furthermore, members of Congress who want to prioritize the needs of women and working people should also support and advance national paid leave and paid sick days standards, as well as legislation to combat workplace harassment and discrimination, including pregnancy discrimination.

For more information, contact us:

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National Partnership Media Line
(202) 986-2600
press@nationalpartnership.org

About the National Partnership for Women & Families

The National Partnership for Women & Families is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, reproductive health and rights, access to quality, affordable health care and policies that help all people meet the dual demands of work and family.

More information is available at NationalPartnership.org.

For general inquiries, please email press@nationalpartnership.org.