WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined Mayor John Cranley in Cincinnati today to announce a package of labor and workplace safety reforms aimed at building and strengthening the middle class. One of the policies mirrors legislation Brown has cosponsored which would phase in a $15 federal minimum wage. Mayor Cranley announced a $15 minimum wage for all full-time city employees.
“The way we grow our economy is from the middle out, with rising incomes for all workers – not just the wealthiest few,” Brown said. “Cincinnati is taking an important step forward in that fight today – and it’s the not first time. Cincinnati is also leading efforts to protect workers from wage theft.
“It is past time that Washington followed Cincinnati’s lead,” Brown continued. “That’s why I have introduced legislation to raise the minimum wage and to crack down on wage theft for workers across the country. I will keep working to ensure that work pays off for all Americans – not just here in Cincinnati, and not just for the wealthiest few.”
Brown is a cosponsor Pay Workers a Living Wage Act, which would phase in a $15 minimum wage by 2020 over five gradual raises. After 2020, the minimum wage would be indexed to the median hourly wage and the tipped minimum wage would be gradually eliminated. Brown has also introduced the Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, legislation that would stand up for working families by cracking down on wage theft. The city of Cincinnati passed a similar wage theft ordinance earlier this year – the first of its kind in Ohio.
The reform packaged announced today includes three components:
Brown supports better wages and benefits for all American workers including legislation to ensure equal pay for equal work, grant paid sick leave for workers, give workers more stable schedules, protect pregnant workers from discrimination, and increase the minimum wage.
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