Rep. Ellison Celebrates Minneapolis City Council Approving Legislation Raising Minimum Wage to $15.00 an Hour

Press Release

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement after the Minneapolis City Council approved a measure raising the city's minimum wage to $15.00 an hour. Rep. Ellison was so excited by the victory for workers in Minneapolis, he sang a song to celebrate.

"Today, Minneapolis took a big step toward renewing the promise of the American Dream.

""The American Dream' should mean that in a country this prosperous, nobody who works for their living should live in poverty. Yet today, working a full-time job at minimum wage doesn't lift an American worker out of poverty -- it keeps her in it.

"I could not be prouder of the workers and organizers who took to the streets and filled City Council meetings to make this happen. Because of their devotion, children will not go to sleep hungry. Because of their work, families won't have to choose between paying the rent or buying groceries.

"I congratulate Mayor Betsy Hodges and the Minneapolis City Council for moving our city forward with one fair, higher wage. This is a win for economic fairness. A win for economic justice. A win for workers in our city that has been echoed across the country.

"But we all know that we cannot stop here. From Seattle to Los Angeles; from Greensboro to San Francisco; from Massachusetts to New York State, The Fight for $15 -- a livable wage -- has swept the country. This campaign has been led from the very beginning by the people who need this change most: low-wage workers. Through walkouts, work stoppages, rallies, protests, and strikes, the American worker is realizing her power.

"As workers around the country continue to stand up for a society that is fair and just, Congress should stand with them and pass the Raise the Wage Act to bring a $15 minimum wage nationwide."

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