Speaker O'Neal: Let the House Vote to Raise the Wage

On March 18th the House Commerce and Labor Committee voted to recommend Senate Bill 160 for passage by the House.  
 
This is a huge victory for Kansas Workers! The hurdle now is to get the bill to the House floor for a vote. That depends on the decision of one man--House Speaker Mike O'Neal.
 
TELL Speaker O’Neal to let the House Vote to Raise the Wage. 
 
The bill, as amended by the House, would raise the Kansas Minimum Wage from $2.65 to match the Federal minimum wage at $7.25 AND give the Kansas Secretary of Labor the power to raise the state minimum wage every time the Federal Minimum wage increases.
 

 

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Raise the Wage

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Please let the entire House vote on Raising the Kansas Minimum Wage.

The Kansas minimum wage of $2.65 an hour is disgracefully low and should be raised to match the national level. According to the Department of Labor, there are now at least 17,000 Kansas workers who are covered by the absurdly low Kansas minimum wage rather than by the federal minimum.

I believe a job should keep you out of poverty, not in poverty.

I call upon the Kansas legislature to raise the state the State Minimum Wage to the National Level!

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
March 23, 2009


Background Information

The Kansas Senate has already passed SB 160 to raise the Kansas minimum wage from $2.65 per hour to match the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

The House Commerce and Labor Committee has voted to recommend a Raise the Wage bill to the House.

Speaker Mike O'Neal has the power to bring the bill to a vote or keep it from the floor.

The American Dream has always meant that if you work hard, you will be able to have a decent standard of living. In Kansas, we promote a strong work ethic and we value the ideals presented by the American Dream.

Kansas’ state minimum wage is $2.65 per hour. Kansas has the lowest minimum wage in the country. federal rate.

The Kansas Department of Labor says that 17,000 Kansans make less than $6.55 an hour.

Our state minimum wage is set so low it allows employers to legally pay a rate that keeps people in extreme poverty.* For a single mother to earn wages that just meet the federal poverty guideline for herself and two children ($17,170) at the state minimum wage, she would have to work almost 18 hours per day, every day of the year!

When workers are not able to support themselves and their families due to low wage rates, taxpayers pay the price in food stamps, child care fees, child and adult health care, housing subsidies, and transportation assistance.