Statewide Coalition Rallies for 715 Minimum Wage



June 23, 2005 -- On Wednesday, June 22nd, hundreds of Pennsylvanians will converge on the state capitol in Harrisburg to demand that the state legislature raise the Pennsylvania minimum wage to $7.15 per hour.

The Raise the Minimum Wage Coalition is made up of labor, community, religious, women's and social service organizations. These groups come from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and other locations.

There will be a rally in the Rotunda of the state Capitol at 1:00PM on Wednesday, June 22nd.

Speakers at the rally will include Bill George, President of the PA AFL-CIO; Rev. Randy Barge of Calvin Presbyterian Church; State Senator Tina Tartaglione, State Representatives Mark Cohen and John Taylor all prime sponsors of the bill raising the state's minimum wage; Pat Eiding, President of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO;
Tom Cronin, President of AFSCME DC47; John Dodds, head of Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP); Cathy Black of the Coaliton of Labor Union women; Luis Tease of CATA (Committee to Support Farmworkers); John Myerson, United Food and Commercial Workers; Representative William DeWeese, Senator Vincent Hughers and others.

Pennsylvania's current minimum wage of $5.15 per hour was set in 1997. Seventeen (17) states and the District of Columbia have already raised their minimum wage.





Statewide Coalition Rallies for 715 Minimum Wage