The Final State of the Union
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Summary:
Ensuring that hard work pays off means that women should receive equal pay for equal work, that Americans can save and retire with dignity, that people have health insurance when they need it most, and that the wage you make is enough to support yourself and your family.
President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the minimum wage, at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut, March 5, 2014. The President is joined by Gov. Dannel Malloy of Connecticut; Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont, Gov. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, and Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Today, President Obama traveled to Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut to speak about the importance of raising the minimum wage.
Joined by Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, along with Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy, Rhode Island Governer Lincoln Chafee, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, the President addressed a crowd filled with students to dicsuss his plan to expand opportunity for all Americans.
He detailed the four parts of his opporuntity agenda: 1) create more new jobs; 2) train Americans with the skills to fill those jobs; 3) guarantee every young person access to a world-class education; and 4) make sure hard work pays off.
Ensuring that hard work pays off means that women should receive equal pay for equal work, that Americans can save and retire with dignity, that people have health insurance when they need it most, and that the wage you make is enough to support yourself and your family.
"Nobody who works full-time should ever have to raise a family in poverty. That violates a basic sense of who we are. And that’s why it’s time to give America a raise," said President Obama. "What every American wants is a paycheck that lets them support their families, know a little economic security, pass down some hope and optimism to their kids. And that’s worth fighting for."
That's why President Obama isn't waiting for Congress to take action. Last month, he used his pen to sign an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay their employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour.
Raising the minimum wage for all Americans to $10.10 an hour would help not only minimum wage workers; it would lift wages for more than 28 million Americans across this country and raise millions of people out of poverty.
If you agree it's time to give America's workers a raise, add you name here.
