Raise Up America: It is long past time to create a living wage to bring millions of hard working Americans into the middle class.

Americans are working harder and harder for less and less. For the past 45 years, the federal minimum wage has not kept up with the cost of living. Right now, forty percent of Americans make less than the minimum wage from 1968. While working Americans do more work every year for less pay, the wealthiest watched as their share of the total income pie grew by 275% over the last thirty years.

Senate Majority Leader Reid has said he intends to take up a minimum wage increase in the Senate before the end of the year. Now is the time to stand together and call on Congress to enact a living wage and strengthen America’s middle class.

Raising pay for American workers is not only the right thing to do, it will also increase demand for goods and services, creating millions of good new jobs. Big, profitable employers like McDonald’s and Walmart should learn that better wages for their workers mean millions of families will have more money to spend at their stores.

It is unacceptable that the minimum wage today pays only $15,000 per year. That’s $3,000 below the poverty level for a family of three. A living wage would help working families still suffering from the effects of the recession, and would boost the economy by putting money in people’s pockets.

Join me in spreading the call for a living wage.