McDonald’s workers struggle in dire poverty to meet basic expenses – making minimum wage of $7.25 per hour in Georgia. Pictured here: Ronald McDonald the icon of greed in America.
On February 28, 2014 Rep. Johnson of Georgia asked for and was granted permission to address the United States House of Representatives for 60 seconds regarding the plight of the working poor.
What he said was absolutely shocking.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my fellow colleagues to allow an up-or-down vote on H.R. 1010, which would give at least 25 million Americans a pay raise. For many Americans, most of whom are women, who work 40 hours a week at $7.25 an hour, they gross a mere $290 a week. That comes out to $15,000 per year, just barely above the Federal poverty guidelines.”
“In America, no one should have to work full time and raise their family in poverty. In Georgia alone, raising the minimum wage would give more than 500,000 hardworking people a raise. Most Americans support raising the minimum wage, but my Republican colleagues refuse to give it a vote. Obviously, many of them have never experienced life working at $7.25 an hour”, he said.
“The American people are calling for an economy that works for everyone–where a hard day’s work earns a decent day’s pay, and everyone has an opportunity to build a brighter future”, said Rep. Johnson (source: Congressional Record).