Women’s rights advocates say boosting the state’s minimum wage would be a big step toward equal pay in the workplace.
As The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher reports, groups backing both causes joined forces Tuesday during an equal pay rally at the state Capitol.
Natural Sound “What do we want? Equal Pay! When do we want it? Now!”
Danielle Atkinson is with Raise Michigan – a coalition working to put a minimum wage increase on the November ballot. She’s also the founder of the women’s advocacy group Mothering Justice.
“Women are disproportionately represented in low-wage work,” she says. “So, when we raise the minimum wage we are raising them a little bit more out of poverty.”
Many Republicans in Lansing say a minimum wage increase would be bad for the economy. They say it should be up to businesses to set wages – not the government.