Hundreds Celebrate Wage Increase and "New Direction for America"

A crowd of hundreds flocked to the Upper Senate Park Tuesday to celebrate the minimum wage increase and a "new direction for America." The federal minimum wage -- previously at $5.15 -- was raised to $5.85 Tuesday and will be raised to $7.25 in two stages over the next two years. The increase is the first raise in the minimum wage in ten years. "This is a down payment on a better future for America," USAction President William McNary said. Speakers celebrated the increase but also emphasized the need to continue with the fight to improve the lives of American workers. "This is a great victory and we look forward to even better days," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "This is part of a broader progressive economic agenda," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told the crowd, after leading a delegation of dozens of Democratic Senators and Representatives to the stage. "It's about access to higher education, affordable healthcare and housing, and honoring our promises to veterans. It's about fairness," Pelosi added. Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now President Maude Hurd and the National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy also focused on the need to push for a living wage. "The fight will go on and we will turn the minimum wage into a living wage," Hurd said over roars of support from the the crowd. (l) Pelosi with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)
-Report/photos by Andy Richards