N&R column on Minimum Wage Campaign

Check out Jeri Rowe's column on the minimum wage campaign in last Saturday's paper.

It includes a concise summary of the minimum wage campaign over the past two years:

One night two weeks ago, you couldn't miss the stickers at City Hall.

At least 50 people converged on the mezzanine level of the Melvin Municipal Building, many of them wearing a small sticker that claimed a big thing for Greensboro: Raise the Minimum Wage — $9.36.

The effort involved two years of talk and a year-long petition drive that corralled 8,000 signatures. The goal: Raise the minimum wage, a dollar at a time over the next few years, until it has the same purchasing power it had in 1968, the year of the first Big Mac.

It brought together a fleet of young guns and old-school activists who wanted the city — our city — to support a move they believed would help thousands of families struggling to make it.

In December, in a 7-2 vote, the City Council gave the OK for the petition drive to move forward. Then in January, in a vote split along racial lines, council members rescinded their vote because of confusion over numbers and legality.

City Council Meeting - Tuesday, Feb. 5th - 5:30pm

Everyone concerned with the minimum wage citizens initiative petition should attend the city council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 5th at 5:30pm. The issue will be on the agenda for further discussion.

This is our chance to reverse the decision made by the city council at its last meeting to rescind its original vote to move forward with the petition. We need to show the council members that citizens care about this issue.

Please pass the word to your networks. Anyone with questions should call Marilyn @ 456-1309, Jim @ 681-2890, Fahiym @ 987-4029, Ed @ 549-7810 or Debra @ 987-7689.