U.S. Senate Misses a Chance to Make Strong Statement on Eve of International Labor Day

While Labor Day has become a symbol for the end of summer in the United States (and only partly a celebration of workers), the global community recognizes workers today. on  International Workers Day, also known as May Day. To be fair, some commemorations  have been organized in some U.S. cities today, including Seattle and Washington, D.C.

On this day, we remember that just yesterday the U.S. Senate missed a great opportunity to make a May Day statement, when a bill to raise the federal minimum wage fell short.  Even though more senators supported the measure than those who opposed the initiative, the 54-42 vote; the initiative was short of the 60 votes were needed to move forward with the legislation,  (Anti-hunger advocates in New Mexico thanks Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich for casting a Yea vote).

But we are in the midst of the Easter Season and we are a people of hope.  We recognize that the bill will likely come up again for a vote.  So we continue to urge anti-hunger advocates to  contact our members of Congress and urge them to pass the bill.

(Read more about yesterday's Senate vote on minimum wage in the Bread blog).

“The most important antipoverty policy is maintaining high rates of employment,” writes Todd Post, senior editor of Bread for the World Institute’s annual Hunger Report, in the briefing paper, Ending Hunger in America. “In addition, low-wage jobs have to pay enough so that no full-time worker is living in poverty with his/her family.”