Join Leaders And Advocates Taking The #LiveTheWage Challenge And Live On A Minimum Wage Budget For A Week
July 24th marks 5 years since the last federal minimum wage increase and America can’t wait any longer. While corporate profits and CEO salaries skyrocket, the minimum wage remains stuck at $7.25 an hour, well below the poverty line for a family of three. We need to raise the minimum wage so that workers have more money to support themselves and their families. More money for workers means more customers for businesses. More customers means more jobs and a stronger economy for everyone.
It’s time for action.
This July, join the national movement to raise the minimum wage by taking the Live the Wage Challenge.
The Live the Wage Challenge asks elected officials, community leaders, advocates and everyday citizens to walk in the shoes of a person who earns minimum wage by living on a minimum wage budget—$77—for one week. Your weekly budget of $77 represents the weekly wages of a full-time worker making the federal minimum wage, minus average taxes and average housing expenses. Your weekly budget includes all your meals, groceries, transportation, and recreational spending. (It does not include long-term and inflexible expenses like loan, car, mortgage, or rent payments, child care, health care, etc.)
Obviously, $77 is not a lot of money. The truth is that you may simply run out of money and go over budget. That’s OK: the Challenge is not easy, and it’s not supposed to be. Workers who make the minimum wage have little, if any, leeway in how they spend their money each month. The Challenge gives a glimpse into just how little the minimum wage provides. It is not enough to live on—much less enough to invest back into the community. Whatever happens — good or bad — by sharing our experiences you will help highlight the critical need to raise the federal minimum wage.
Visit Livethewage.com to learn more about the challenge and read the stories of minimum wage workers and the struggles they face. The Challenge starts on the anniversary and goes for one week: from Thursday, July 24th until Wednesday, July 30th. Invite your friends, your neighbors, your congregation, your co-workers to join. And if you take part, be sure to chronicle the whole experience on social media using the hashtag #LiveTheWage. The more participants share their experiences with others, the bigger the impact we’ll have on the national conversation around the minimum wage.
BOTTOM LINE: Take part in the Live the Wage challenge by walking in the shoes of a minimum wage worker and living on just $77 for a week. We can keep the momentum going to raise the minimum wage – and keep the pressure on legislators who are saying no.
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