This is a petition to raise awareness of the importance of increasing the minimum wage. This petition mainly focuses on the state of Georgia, but with your help, we can raise the minimum wage nationwide.

Right now, the minimum wage in the state of Georgia is $5.15. Because the Federal minimum wage is higher ($7.25), most employers in Georgia must pay their workers the Federal minimum wage. But, because of some exceptions to the minimum wage (small businesses, child-care centers, etc.), some employees are being paid as low as $5.15 an hour. There have been bills introduced into Georgia's House of Representatives and Senate regarding minimum wage, but none of them have even made it to a vote in their respective houses.

Affording basic living expenses is very difficult for minimum-wage workers. Let's look at the numbers. A person making minimum wage at a 40-hour-a-week job earns $1,150 per month after taxes. After paying for necessities including rent, transportation, clothing, etc., but without the cost of food because of SNAP (Food Stamps), this person would be $159 in debt every month. Because of this, many minimum-wage workers must work more than 40 hours a week to make ends meet.

Working more than forty hours a week often results in a loss of government assistance. For example, the SNAP (Food Stamps) program in Georgia has a maximum individual income of $15,301 in order to receive assistance. Since many minimum-wage workers work more than 40 hours a week, they actually get further behind by working more, as they lose the food assistance. Doesn't this seem wrong?

Let me tell you a little bit about why I care about this issue. In my eighth grade class we took Race, Class, and Gender, a course intended to inform us of the inequalities of society and make us more aware of our identities. I was particularly intrigued by the Class unit.  Minimum wage affects many people that I know, including some of my friends, and we all need to help with this issue.  When reading this, think about someone that you know that would be affected by a minimum wage raise.  Think about how you can affect their lives in a positive way by supporting raising the minimum wage. 

This is an issue that needs to be solved, and with your help, we can make people pay attention to this problem. We can let our congressmen and women know that we feel strongly about this issue, and together we can make a difference. Let's raise the minimum wage, one signature at a time.

Here's a link to a great video on how raising the minimum wage will help everyone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=20&v=WXKLa2zfoTk