September 29, 2006

Granholm celebrates minimum wage increase

LANSING – In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today celebrated the first of three raises that Michigan workers will receive over the next two years.  On Sunday, the state’s minimum wage will increase from $5.15 an hour to $6.95 an hour.
 
“Michigan workers are getting a raise,” Granholm said.  “The men and women who work hard everyday and struggle to pay the bills and provide for their families on $5.15 an hour deserve this raise.”

In her State of the State Address earlier this year, Granholm vowed to raise the minimum wage for the citizens of Michigan.  Two months later, Granholm signed Senate Bill 318 (Public Act 81 of 2006) which increases the state’s minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.40 per hour over the next two years. 
 
Following Sunday’s scheduled increase, the minimum wage will increase to $7.15 on July 1, 2007, and again to $7.40 on July 1, 2008.
 
Granholm said more than 460,000 workers across Michigan will benefit from the increase and that more than 40 percent of those workers are the sole bread winners in their families.
 
In her radio address, the governor thanked the public for their tremendous support and the partnership of Michigan’s labor unions for helping to bring this legislation to her desk.  However, Granholm reiterated her fight for working men and women in Michigan doesn’t stop here. 
 
“I’ve got the most comprehensive and aggressive economic plan of any governor in the country and I am working everyday to create jobs and opportunity for our citizens,” Granholm said.  “Just like the minimum wage, I’m going to work until every piece of my economic plan is working for Michigan citizens.”

The governor’s weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state through an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.  The address will also be available on the Governor’s website on Mondays as a podcast for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.

Broadcasters Note: Governor Granholm’s radio address can be accessed through Sunday evening exclusively through the Members Only page of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters website. 

Publishers Note: The text of today’s address is attached.