SEIU Virginia 512 members rallied across the state of Virginia today as part of SEIU’s National Minimum Wage Day of Action.
While millions of workers struggle to live on $7.25 an hour, CEO pay has increased by 725 percent over the past thirty years. A raise in the minimum wage would put more money in the pockets of working people and boost consumer spending, which drives 70 percent of our economy.
In Fairfax, SEIU Virginia 512 members paired up with area 32BJ members in support of increasing the minimum wage.
In Fredericksburg, SEIU Virginia 512 members, alongside Virginia Organizing activists, asked U.S. Congressman Rob Wittman’s staff if he supported raising the national minimum wage. The congressman wasn’t in the office, but the delegation left a petition for him. They followed the conversation with a rally outside Wittman’s office.
“As a person who’s a part of the 99 percent, we deserve to earn a living wage,” Laura Clark, a home care provider and SEIU Virginia 512 member from Ruther Glen, said. “We are passionate about the care we provide, and it’s past time to raise the minimum wage.”
In Virginia Beach, SEIU Virginia 512 members talked to U.S. Congressman Scott Rigell’s district director Shannon Kendrick about raising the national minimum wage. They followed the conversation with a rally outside Rigell’s office.
Julia Newton, a home care provider and SEIU Virginia 512 member, said working families need this increase.
“People who work for minimum wage work hard every day, living paycheck to paycheck,” Newton, Norfolk, said. “Often, they work more than one minimum wage job. A raise in the minimum wage can mean the difference between being a tax-payer and being a tax-burden. The cost of everything has gone up, except our paychecks.”
The members of SEIU Virginia 512 are home care providers across the Commonwealth and county employees in Fairfax and Loudoun. Dedicated to delivering quality services to the families of Virginia, SEIU Virginia 512 members advocate for stronger communities and a better life for all Virginians.
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