John Kerry: “today--finally--we are raising the minimum wage and putting families first. We have won a major victory for every…”

“today--finally--we are raising the minimum wage and putting families first. We have won a major victory for every American who values work and believes in fairness. It is a victory for common sense over ideology, for bipartisanship over saber rattling. It is a victory for 290,000 hard-working families in Massachusetts who are playing by the rules and struggling to make ends meet--who have fallen behind in the last 20 years and now have a chance to do better, to keep up, and give their children a chance at a decent life. It is a victory for the millions of Americans who were trying to make a living and raise a family on $4.25 an hour and now will get $1800 more a year--enough to buy groceries for 7 months. Raising the minimum wage is a work force enhancement program and a family protection program for an investment of 90 cents an hour--a move which will strengthen the fabric of the American community and narrow the widening gap in the workforce. For the first time in years, we are giving workers a raise. This is a down payment on our commitment to make sure that everyone in this economy can participate--that everyone can earn more, learn more, provide more for their families, and be part of an economy that works for families--that values the dignity of work for those at the bottom as well as the top. Mr. President, raising the minimum wage is, in fact, the most basic welfare reform measure we could enact.…”