We need a livable wage! Support HR 4889/S. 2488 the Raise the Wage Act!

I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor HR 4889 / S. 2488 the Raise the Wage Act of 2023, Senator Sanders' and Congressman Bobby Scott’s bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour. In this country, a job should lift a person out of poverty, not trap them in it. But the $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage we currently have is a starvation wage. It’s obscene. American workers are among the most productive in the world. Yet, in industry after industry, the share of revenues going to wages has dropped, while the share going to profits and stock buybacks has soared. In fact, if the minimum wage had increased with productivity over the last 50 years, it would be $23 an hour today. If it had increased at the same rate that Wall Street employee bonuses have increased, it would be more than $42 an hour. During rising income inequality and skyrocketing corporate profits, raising the minimum wage to a living wage is not a radical idea. It will be good for the economy and lift people out of poverty. Americans understand that workers need a living wage. Congress needs to represent them and pass a livable wage! Thanks.