Editor’s note: Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, issued the following statement Thursday in response to the House vote to raise the federal minimum wage:

“We applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for its vote to increase the minimum wage. We know that $15 an hour is the absolute minimum workers need nationwide in order to survive. Lifting low-income workers is the right and moral thing to do, pure and simple, and the Senate should take up the Raise the Wage Act of 2019, H.R. 582, for its consideration.

“We also know that raising the minimum wage is popular among a wide swath of Americans. A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey last year found 60 percent of U.S. adults supported raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, while 37 percent were opposed. And according to the Economic Policy Institute, the effective minimum wage has increased in 27 states and Washington, D.C. since 2014; 29 states and the District now have a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum wage.

“We take note that the bill that passed Thursday eliminates the tipped minimum wage. The tipped minimum wage is part of a tiered system that locks in sub-minimum wages for service industry workers, and allows racism and sexism to play out in their paychecks. Getting rid of the tipped minimum wage and replacing it with the standard, $15 minimum wage will be a huge step forward in improving workplace safety and lifting up a large group of low-income workers.

“We congratulate the many workers and community activists and organizations, some of which are part of the CHN family of coalition partners, who have worked tirelessly to raise the minimum wage. Today is not the end of this fight. But perhaps it is the beginning of the end.”

The Coalition on Human Needs is an alliance of national organizations working together to promote public policies which address the needs of low-income and other vulnerable populations. For more information please visit www.chn.org.