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GROUP. Immigrant workers arrived in Richmond on Tuesday, January 21, asking lawmakers to raise the minimum wage
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Dozens of activists and immigrant workers demonstrated Tuesday, January 21, at the Virginia Capitol in the city of Richmond, in favor of a bill that would gradually double the minimum wage from $ 7.25 to $ 15 an hour until 2024.
The group – led by a coalition of various organizations under the name Raise the Wage Virginia – lobbied by visiting state legislators to push for HB 395, introduced by Democratic Delegate Jeion Ward (District 92).
“All workers deserve to have the opportunity to be paid fairly,” said Luis Aguilar, director of CASA in Virginia, one of the organizations that makes up the coalition.
“We are encouraging the community to be active and fight to achieve an increase in the minimum wage,” he added.
Guatemalan Elvira Gutiérrez, who works cleaning houses for a company, attended the demonstration and expressed the need to increase the minimum wage. The immigrant works between nine and 11 hours a day, but earns a daily wage equal to less than $ 9 an hour.
“And sometimes I don’t even work every day,” he said. “With the salary that I receive, I make less than 22 thousand a year, which is not enough for all expenses.” Even working every day, Gutiérrez barely earns an amount that only serves to cover his rent, he explained.
Raising the minimum wage has been a controversial measure blocked in the past by House committees.
However, this year, activists are hopeful the legislation will pass, given that Democrats – who have pushed for the measure – are now a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“We are optimistic that this time the measure will take place,” Aguilar said.
In the Washington region, Virginia is the only jurisdiction that has not moved forward with the minimum wage increase. In Maryland, the measure was approved in 2019 to increase the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour until 2025. Currently the minimum is $ 11 an hour. Counties in that state, such as Montgomery, passed the legislation in 2017 and the District of Columbia in 2016.
Nationally, about one-third of workers are covered by the $ 15-an-hour law, and 17 cities and counties will already reach that amount in 2020. In Virginia there are several proposals, but not many include all workers. In one of them, domestic employees are excluded.
“That is why we are demonstrating and talking to legislators so that they are fair and also take us into consideration,” said Gutiérrez.
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