WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), and First Vice Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) made the following statements today after the Fight for $15 movement organized a “Day of Disruption” of hundreds of protests and strikes across the country.
“The front lines of wage stagnation are on full display today as workers across the country unite to demand the safe work conditions they need and the fair pay they deserve,” Rep. Grijalva said. “In a nation built by hard work, it’s beyond time we restore the dignity of a well-earned pay check. With a new administration taking office next year, it’s more important now than ever to ensure federal policies help workers earn their due, protect them while on the job, and guarantee overtime for employees who go above and beyond a 40 hour workweek. We will see in the coming months and years those who truly stand with American workers and fight for policies that grow and protect their pay, and those who merely pay them lip service. I am proud to stand behind every man and woman who is taking action for fair wages today.”
"When I talk to people on the picket lines in Minnesota and around the country, they tell me they're striking for a better life for their kids and their families,” Rep. Ellison said. “They tell me they're working harder than ever, and still struggling to make ends meet. In the wealthiest country in the world, nobody working full time should be living in poverty. But the power of protest and working people's voices can make all the difference. Politics might be the art of the possible, but organizing is the art of making more possible. Workers around the country are fighting to make better working conditions and better wages possible. And I stand with them."
“Fair wages and union rights are the bedrock of the middle class,” Rep. Pocan said. “Yet in the richest nation in the world, there are people who work full time and live in poverty. I stand with the workers across the country today who are fighting for higher wages and the right to organize.”
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is the largest caucus within the House Democratic Caucus, with over 70 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests, fight economic and social inequality, and promote civil liberties. The CPC champions progressive policy solutions like comprehensive immigration reform, a $15 national minimum wage, fair trade, gun violence reform, debt-free college, and making the federal government a Model Employer.
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