January 9, 2007

ISSUE: The House of Representatives will vote to increase the minimum wage on Wednesday, January 10. Contact your Representative(s) and urge them to support HR 2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007. The legislation moves the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour over two years.

BACKGROUND: This is the first increase to the federal minimum wage in over 10 years. Families struggle when this meager wage leaves them about $6,000 below the poverty line for a family of three. Workers have the right to a just wage to support themselves and their families to meet their material needs and contribute to the common good.

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote  to the House of Representatives urging them to support HR 2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007: “Work has a special place in Catholic social thought. Work is more than just a job; it is a reflection of human dignity and a way to contribute to the common good. Most importantly, it is the ordinary way people meet their material needs and community obligations. In Catholic teaching, the principle of a just wage is integral to our understanding of human work. Wages must be adequate for workers to provide for themselves and their families in dignity. The United States bishops’ Conference has supported the minimum wage since its inception as a just means to protect the human rights and dignity of workers.”

ACTION: Please contact your congressional representative and ask him/her to vote for HR 2.

Call your Congressperson's Washington, DC office or click here to send an email.

Gus Bilirakis, (202) 225-5755
Allen Boyd, (202) 225-5235
Corrine Brown, (202) 225-0123 
Virginia Brown-Waite, (202) 225-1002  
Vern Buchanan, (202) 225-5015
Kathy Castor, (202) 225-3376
Ander Crenshaw, (202) 225-2501
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, (202) 225-4211
Mario Diaz-Balart, (202) 225-2778
Tom Feeney, (202) 225-2706
Alcee Hastings, (202) 225-1313
Tim Mahoney, (202) 225-5792
Ric Keller, (202) 225-2176
Ron Klein, (202) 225-3026
Connie Mack, (202) 225-2536 
Kendrick Meek, (202) 225-4506 
John Mica, (202) 225-4035
Jeff Miller, (202) 225-4136
Adam Putnam, (202) 225-1252
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, (202) 225-3931
Cliff Stearns, (202) 225-5704
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, (202) 225-7931
Dave Weldon, (202) 225-3516
Robert Wexler, (202) 225-3001
Bill C.W. Young, (202) 225-5961