On April 30th, Senate Republicans filibustered legislation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10. With a vote of 60 needed to overcome the filibuster, 54 Senators – a majority of the Senate – voted to advance the bill. Once again, Senate Republicans have obstructed legislation to lift up working families.

Chair Jaxon Ravens sent out the following email asking supporters to sign our petition demanding that Washington lawmakers support raising the minimum wage.

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Send a message to Washington lawmakers:

It’s time to raise the minimum wage

Dear Friend,

This morning, Senate Republicans hijacked the legislative process AGAIN and filibustered raising the minimum wage.

That’s right – Even though a majority in the Senate voted to raise the minimum wage, it will not pass because Senate Republicans are determined to sacrifice working families for their right-wing, Tea Party agenda.

Raising the national minimum wage to $10.10 would make a real difference to hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians.

It would lift 48,594 Washington families out of poverty and improve the lives of 201,000 Washington children.

Washington’s Democrats in Congress support raising the minimum wage. But we need to send a message to Washington’s Republicans, who are in lockstep with the Republican right-wing agenda.

Sign our petition and demand that all Washington lawmakers support raising the minimum wage.

A majority of Senators, including Washington’s Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, support raising the minimum wage to $10.10, because they know that every American who works hard should be able to live above the poverty line.

An overwhelming majority of the public agrees it’s the right thing to do. A recent New York Times/CBS News poll shows that two-thirds of the public favors a raise to $10.10.

This filibuster is just another example of the ways Republicans have worked to deny the middle class their fair shot.

They blocked efforts to make sure women earn equal pay for equal work, they blocked renewing unemployment insurance, and they created a budget that gives tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class.

This isn’t about politics. This is about values. This is about giving everybody who works hard a chance to succeed.

In solidarity,

Jaxon Ravens
Washington State Democrats Chair