GOTV to Raise the Minimum Wage
Nobody who works full-time should have to live in poverty.
There are many good reasons to vote in this election. Raising the minimum wage is one of them. On the mid-term ballot there will be a statewide non-binding advisory question asking, “Shall the minimum wage in Illinois for adults over the age of 18 be raised to $10 per hour by January 1, 2015?”
Vote yes!
Minimum wage workers in Illinois working full-time earn only about $17,000 a year – well below the annual cost of housing, health care, electricity, groceries, transportation, and child care. Use your vote to let our elected officials know $8.25 per hour is not enough to support a family.
Vote yes to raise the minimum wage and help to Get Out the Vote (GOTV) for the November 4, 2014 election. Early voting is happening now.
Throughout our history, people of faith have been concerned about justice in the payment of wages. Deuteronomy says:
“You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers, whether other Israelites or foreigners who reside in your land in one of your towns. You shall pay them their wages daily before sunset, because they are poor and their livelihood depends on them; otherwise they might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt” (24:14-15).
Scripture acknowledges that many laborers live pay check to pay check and rely on their daily wages to afford basic necessities. Paychecks ought to keep workers out of poverty, not in it.
By exercising our right to vote and speaking as people of faith, we can demonstrate significant support for raising the minimum wage.
Your voice can make a difference for over 1.1 million workers in Illinois. One in every 5 Illinois workers will see their pay rise, if the minimum wage is increased to $10 per hour in 2015.
Vote yes to raise the minimum wage. Get out and vote today. Encourage your family, friends and neighbors to vote yes to raising the minimum wage.