Several women’s advocacy groups announced their support of the fall ballot question raising the state minimum wage at a Bangor news conference Thursday.
“When we raise the minimum wage we boost our economy by making sure all workers have money to spend locally on food, rent, health care and other basic needs. This is vital for the financial security of women in Maine,” says Eliza Townsend executive director of the Maine Women’s Lobby.
Townsend joined with other supporters, like Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and the Mabel Wadsworth Women’s health center, in supporting the citizen initiative that would raise the state minimum wage to $12 by 2020.
They say 93,000 women will benefit from the proposal if voters approve it in November.
“Working women of Maine are not treated equally, let’s just face it,” says Bangor City Councilor Sarah Nichols. “In fact, working women make up 60 percent of the minimum wage work force. Working women, that means our mothers, our sisters our daughters and our grandmothers are the majority of the people making minimum wage in Maine.”
