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A Minimum Wage Thanksgiving Dinner in Raleigh

Jeremy Sprinkle
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Press Advisory for November 27, 2013

Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, Communications Director, [email protected], 919-833-6678

AS THE U.S. SENATE DEBATES RAISING THE MINIMUM WAGE, RALEIGH ADVOCATES COOK UP A THANKSGIVING DINNER BASED ON THE MINIMUM WAGE LIFESTYLE

“A Minimum Wage Thanksgiving” is reality for too many hard-working North Carolinians

The Fair Minimum Wage Act, which will raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $10.10/hour, is expected to reach the floor of the US Senate next week. But this Thanksgiving Week, Raleigh area advocates will call on Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan to support the bill, by highlighting what Thanksgiving dinner looks like to minimum wage earners.

It’s the sorriest looking Thanksgiving that you’ve ever seen. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost of a Thanksgiving Day meal is $49.04. If a minimum wage earner spends the same percentage of their annual income as the average household, they would have only $14.50 for Thanksgiving dinner.

Joining us will be members of OUR Walmart and NC Raise Up - Walmart and Fast Food workers who are struggling with wages close to the minimum wage.

While the rest of us take Thanksgiving for granted, millions of Americans are struggling just to get by. The Fair Minimum Wage Act is the least we can do to raise up hard-working Americans during this holiday season.

Who: Action NC, Progress NC, the NC State AFL-CIO, OUR Walmart, and NC Raise UP

What: A Minimum Wage Thanksgiving -- a full spread of the sorriest looking Thanksgiving meal you can imagine. Great visuals!

Where: NC State AFL-CIO, 1408 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27605

When: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at 10:30 A.M.

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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of local unions and union councils in North Carolina, representing over one-hundred thousand union members, fighting for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working families. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.

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