“I can’t support the kids I have living at home while making minimum wage. I depend on government assistance, and that is not right. I want to have a decent amount of money to support my family and not depend on anyone. Every job should be paying enough money to cover the basic things in life.”
The state announced today that our state minimum wage is going up by a whopping 15 cents to $9.47 an hour — a nickel and a dime. That’s less than $400 a week, before taxes - if you work full time. It may be the highest in the country, but it’s not enough.
Nine dollars and some change won’t let us meet our basic needs, support ourselves, and contribute to the economy. So let’s tell our state legislators what we think the state minimum wage should be.
Click here to write a message to your state legislators about what you think the state minimum wage should be. Our system will find their email addresses for you if you fill out the form.
“I always struggle to pay my bills. I work 60-80 hours a week, and it’s still not enough. I had to go to the food bank three times in the last two months because I don’t have enough money for food. I’m tired of being treated this way — we all are.”
Workers in Seattle and SeaTac fought for and won $15. Workers in Bellevue and beyond have started taking actions to fight for a better minimum wage as well. We are rising all across the state and our legislators need to hear from us.
Tell your state legislators what you think the minimum wage should be.
It’s good that we have a minimum wage law that tries to keep up with the cost of living, but 15 cents just doesn’t cut it. It is not even close. We need a minimum wage that isn’t pocket change.