The Poor People’s Campaign began in 1968 with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King joined a group of people to call for a “revolution of values” in America that would unite the poor and impacted communities in the U.S. to fight against “the interlocking evils of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy.”
The Campaign took a big step forward in 2018 when 40 states – including Oregon – took part in a nonviolent act of civil disobedience, in which, over 40 days, demonstrators blocked traffic and refused to leave public buildings. Hundreds were arrested.
Now, the Campaign asks President Joe Biden to meet with workers considered low-income to discuss increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. They also have asked to meet with Congress on June 15 about the issue. The intent is to have these meetings before their organization marches on the Capitol on June 18.
In a June 6 press conference, the Campaign’s co-chair, Rev. William Barber II, noted that he had “repeatedly asked for the meeting – and even publicized the request via an open letter in September.” However, the meeting still hasn’t happened. And while Barber has said that he asked Biden again about a meeting when attending an event at the White House, he doesn’t want to make his request a “personality battle” with the president – a man who has often supported the Campaign in speeches, once saying, “I want to be part of your movement.”
On the 6th, Barber asked, “Why don’t poor people get the same audience in the Oval Office that corporations get?”
The Numbers
If someone earns $15 per hour at a full–time job, they would be bringing home $31,200 annually before taxes. The current federal poverty line is set at $27,750 annually for a family of four – and $32,470 for a family of five.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that inflation has increased the cost of food by 8.8% over the last year – a number which includes an increase of 10% for food prepared at home and 6.9% when dining out.
Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour – meaning $15,080 before taxes annually. If a person is expected to make tips on top of their wages, the federal minimum is set at $2.13 per hour.
The minimum wage in the state of Oregon is set to go up on July 1, 2022 to between $12 and $14 per hour depending on where you live – still lagging behind other West Coast states, although tipped workers earn the same hourly wage as everyone else. In Benton County, the minimum wage will be $13.50 per hour which comes to an annual salary of $28,080.
Correction: Benton County minimum wage will increase to $13.50 per hour on July 1. We published the wrong amount in our story.
By Sally K Lehman
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