$15 Minimum Wage Now- The Rich Increased Their Wealth by + 1 Trillion During the Pandemic

Unrepresentative Policy of the Week: Pass an Uncompromised Covid-19 Package I know that we mostly covered this in the opener today, so I’ll be brief. The $1.9 Trillion Covid-19 relief package has passed through the House of Representatives, and is now moving onto the Senate. The bill from the House, with fierce advocacy by progressive Democrats, includes a $15 minimum wage among many other important provisions, including $1400 checks, and funding for state and local governments. Despite the Senate parliamentarian’s advice that a minimum wage cannot be included in the upcoming bill, it looks like Bernie will be forcing the vote. Now it turns to Kamala Harris, and if she allows the provision into the bill, onto a Senate vote. It seems hard to imagine the presidential hopeful Kamala Harris will be inserting herself into the popular fight for $15, a policy she has advocated for herself, as the principle reason for its failure, but Democratic “political instincts” never cease to amaze. Assuming Vice President Harris is indeed politically savvy, a vote in the Senate turns to Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema. How will they vote? Can we really afford to allow a minimum wage in such a popular piece of legislation? Well the American people have weighed in on this bill, and frankly, it would be suicidal for Manchin and Sinema to block this legislation. Do you support of oppose the coronavirus aid package that includes $1400 in direct payments to some Americans, funding for schools and local governments, and an extension in unemployment benefits? All support – 76% Democrats – 89% Independents – 71% Republicans – 60% This is a completely bipartisan bill, so popular and necessary that even the Trump cultists want it to pass! To go against 90% of your own party and 60% of the opposition party is just untenable. Manchin and Sinema might huff and puff, and complain about raising the minimum wage, but if it makes it into the bill, they’ll fall in line and vote in favor. If they don’t, then we have an entirely different problem, in which Manchin and Sinema are actively working to destroy Democrats electoral chances in 2022 and 2024. But we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. In the mean-time it’s important that we make our voices heard, so that progressive lawmakers know they have the wind at their backs, fighting to $15 min wage. A raise for 30 million people, amount to over $90 Billion is what’s at stake, and if we deliver, it can set the ground work for bigger and better things to come. Winning inspires more winning, so let’s get this super popular policy done, flex some progressive muscle, and actually win! After that, we can get started on the harder work, of passing policies the donor class is vehemently against. That will be a much longer process, and it’s going to take not just political power, but economic power as well. Join us every Tuesday as we build that economic power through solidarity of action, so that when the next policy fight arrives, we’ll be ready to win that one too! Don't Shop on Tuesdays!