National, State, Local Lawmakers Join POWER & Allies At Monday's Pre-Primary 'Get Out To Vote' Rally

PHILADELPHIA - May 17, 2014 - PRLog -- More than 100 people are expected at Monday’s pre-primary ‘get out to vote rally’ at 11am at the Philadelphia International Airport Terminal B/C Departure side. US Congressman Bob Brady, State Senator Larry Farnese, State Representative Maria Donatucci, and Philadelphia City Councilperson Kenyatta Johnson are among the speakers. Airport workers and union leaders will also give personal testimonies about struggling to make ends meet while earning below poverty wages. Also speaking at the rallly: John Temple, National Employment Law Project who issued a report recently documenting the impact of poverty wages among Airport and other subcontracted workers.The demonstrators will be encouraging people to vote in Tuesday’s primary election and vote #YesOnOne - ballot question number one, a referendum that solidifies the Mayor's Executive Order to increase the minimum wage. Voting #YesOnOne not ensures the order cannot be overturned by future mayors, but also extends the minimum wage increase to sub contractor employees. Right now those workers make $7.85 an hour. The new law will increase their pay to $10.88 per hour.  “While we celebrate the giant step forward taken by Mayor Michael Nutter, we remain vigilant that Philadelphians get out to vote in Tuesday's primary election,” says Bishop Dwayne Royster, Executive Director of POWER. “We are encouraging everyone to vote #YesOnOne on Tuesday to give the Mayor’s actions staying power and our airport workers are protected.”  For the past several months, POWER clergy leaders and members of their congregations have been going door-to-door, and conducting daily phone banking trying to encourage 5,000 unlikely voters to head to the polls. So far they have connected with nearly 30,000 registered voters and gotten commitments from them to vote in Tuesday's Primary election.

Monday's prayer vigil is lead by the interfaith community organizing group POWER along with SEIU32BJ (Service Employees International Union), Public Officials, economic researchers from the National Employment Law Project and subcontracted Airport workers who will benefit if Ballot Question #1 passes.

For more information about Monday's prayer vigil and rally, contact Leslie Patterson-Tyler of TylerMadePR at (609) 247-2632 or email Leslie@TylerMadePR.com.