What’s at Stake Today

Right now, the federal minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour. In every state, a woman with two children working full-time at minimum wage would live near or below the poverty line. And for tipped workers, the federal minimum cash wage is just $2.13 per hour ― and it hasn’t gone up for more than 20 years.

What Is NWLC Doing?

Raising the federal minimum wage — and eliminating the lower minimum cash wage for tipped workers — would help millions of workers across the country support themselves and their families. And because women are the majority of minimum-wage workers, increasing the minimum wage would also help close the wage gap.

We’re advocating for Congress to pass the Raise the Wage Act, which would give 30 percent of working women in the United States a raise. This bill would raise the federal minimum wage to $12.00 per hour by 2020, index it to the median wage, and increase the tipped minimum wage until it’s the same as the regular minimum wage.