FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 28
CONTACT: Kirstin Snow, Pennsylvania Policy Center, Director of Communications; snow@pennpolicy.org
PA Policy Center Joins Reps. Delia Ramirez and Analilia Mejia to Introduce $25 Federal Living Wage Bill Backed by Growing Coalition of Workers, Unions, and Lawmakers — Including Progressive Caucus Leadership
In an Affordability Crisis, Raising Paychecks Is as Essential as Lowering Prices — There Is No Place in America Where a Worker Can Afford to Live on Less Than $25 an Hour
Washington, DC —On Tuesday, April 28, days before the largest May Day mobilizations in years, labor, civil rights, and economic justice leaders from across the country gathered at the U.S. Capitol to stand with Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-03) as she introduced the Living Wage for All Act, a landmark federal bill co-sponsored by Rep. Analilia Mejia (NJ-11) that would raise the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour — the floor that working families need to meet the real cost of living in America today. Joining them from the Commonwealth was the executive director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center, Felicity A. Williams, Esq.
In addressing the need for a living wage, especially in Pennsylvania, where the minimum wage has been stalled at the federal minimum for decades, Williams said, “While billionaires and corporate profits soar, millions of working people are still being told that $7.25 an hour is enough to survive. The Living Wage for All Act recognizes the growing gap between wages and the real cost of living and affirms a simple principle: if you work full time in America, you should be able to afford basic necessities like housing, food, and health care — and live with dignity, economic security, and fair compensation for your labor, not poverty wages that trap families in constant crisis.”
Momentum around the legislation has rapidly accelerated in the lead-up to the introduction, with major national unions including SEIU, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Education Association (NEA), and the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) joining a growing coalition of more than 100 labor, civil rights, and economic justice organizations backing the bill. Rep. Ramirez and Rep. Mejia were joined by Members of Congress including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rep. Chuy García, signaling a broad and expanding base of support within Congress and across the country.
The event also featured national leaders from the Living Wage For All Coalition, including the Pennsylvania Policy Center; and directly impacted workers from across sectors sharing why the affordability crisis is not just a cost-of-living crisis, but is a wage crisis, urging Congress to raise the minimum wage to a living wage to meet the true cost of living.
The legislation sits at the center of a rapidly expanding national push to match wages with the real cost of living. Across the country, campaigns are already moving at $25 and above — with $30 proposals advancing in Alameda County and Los Angeles, $27 legislation in Illinois, $30 efforts in New York, and $25 campaigns underway in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. These are part of a coordinated, multi-front strategy backed by a coalition of more than 100 labor, community, and social justice organizations.
The Living Wage for All Act brings that momentum to the federal level — translating what workers and voters are already demanding across states and cities into a national standard.
The federal minimum wage has remained stuck at $7.25 since 2009. For more than 17 years, workers have absorbed rising costs for rent, groceries, childcare, and healthcare while their wages have remained stagnant. The Living Wage for All Act establishes a new national wage floor grounded in economic reality, not political compromise.
Background: The Living Wage for All Act would raise the federal minimum wage to $25 per hour through a phased approach that reflects both the cost of living and the structure of the modern economy.
The bill establishes a two-track phase-in, requiring large, highly profitable corporations to lead the transition. Large employers would reach $25 by 2031, while smaller employers would phase in more gradually, reaching $25 by 2038.
To ensure wages do not fall behind again, the bill includes a built-in standard that keeps the minimum wage aligned with typical wages across the economy. As the economy grows and wages rise, the minimum wage would rise with it.
The legislation also eliminates all subminimum wages, including for tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities — ensuring that every worker is guaranteed a full wage from their employer, with no exceptions.
Additional Quotes for Media:
“The introduction of the Living Wage for All Act is a powerful testament to the worker-led movement that is forcing a new baseline for livable wages. While the affordability crisis continues to squeeze working families, SEIU members are organizing and pushing for even higher standards across the country. We applaud Rep. Ramirez for this bold $25-an-hour proposal—an important step forward that’s driven by workers demanding the money, power, and respect that they’ve earned.” – April Verrett, SEIU International President
“This is a worker-led movement that has grown from the groundbreaking Fight for $15 into a nationwide push for a true living wage. Across the country — from California to the Midwest to the East Coast — workers are organizing for $25 and $30 because that is what it takes to live. The polling shows this is not just popular, it is necessary. And ‘for all’ means exactly that: no worker left behind. This is what it looks like when politics begins to catch up to reality — and when democracy delivers real improvements in people’s lives, it becomes tangible. A living wage is how we make that promise real.”— Saru Jayaraman, President, One Fair Wage
“We cannot talk about affordability without talking about what people are paid. This bill is about holding corporate America accountable and not letting billionaires, corporations like Amazon, and CEOs get away with blaming everything else for an affordability crisis they are helping drive. While prices rise and profits grow, workers are still being paid poverty wages instead of a true living wage. That has to change if we are serious about dignity and fairness in this economy.” — Stuart Appelbaum, President, RWDSU
“As the Trump administration rips more and more resources away from the classrooms and communities that need them most, all while handing more power and privilege to the wealthy and well-connected, workers across our country need this legislation now more than ever,” said Kimberly Johnson Trinca, Government Relations Director for the National Education Association. “By paying educators and education support professionals a living wage, they will earn the respect, competitive wages, and support they deserve to provide their students with the skills needed to fulfill their dreams. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, the National Education Association is proud to stand up for the working class and support the Living Wage for All Act. An investment in workers is an investment in the future of public schools and our nation.” –Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association
“A living wage is about the kind of society we want – one where one job is enough; where if you work hard you will have a pathway to a life you and you r family can live on or one of constant struggle this also hugely impacts education When educators, paraprofessionals, school staff, and the families that make up our communities are paid less than what it takes to live, it destabilizes classrooms and weakens the foundation students rely on.
When educators must work 2 and 4 jobs to make ends meet, how can they focus on their students. A true living wage is essential — and long overdue — to restoring dignity for workers, supporting families, and ensuring people can fully participate in their communities and in our democracy. That is how we build the thriving, stable environments every student deserves.”
— Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
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Living Wage For All Coalition
The Living Wage for All Coalition is a national campaign of more than 100 labor, community, civil rights, and economic justice organizations working together to win a living wage for every worker in America. The coalition is advancing a multi-level strategy through federal legislation, state ballot measures, and local campaigns to raise wages, end all subminimum wages, and ensure that work pays enough to meet the real cost of living — with no exceptions. https://livingwageforall.org
One Fair Wage
One Fair Wage is a national organization of nearly 300,000 service workers, over 1000 restaurant employers, and dozens of organizations nationwide all working together to raise wages for all workers, end all subminimum wages in the United States, and improve working conditions in the service sector in particular. One Fair Wage policy would require all employers to pay the full minimum wage with fair, non-discriminatory tips on top, thus lifting millions of tipped and subminimum wage workers nationally out of poverty. For more information, visit www.onefairwage.org.
Pennsylvania Policy Center
Pennsylvania Policy Center, the state affiliate of the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, addresses a range of pressing issues through innovative public policy initiatives aimed at fostering equity, sustainability, and the ability of all Pennsylvanians to thrive, not just survive. www.pennpolicy.org