March 31, 2006
March 31, 2006
Thanks Volunteers for Their Hard Work, Says More Work to be Done
LANSING – In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today celebrated the first increase in Michigan’s minimum wage in nine years and credited citizens with getting the legislation passed.
“This is a tremendous victory for our working families and for all of Michigan,” Granholm said. “Without those citizens who overwhelmingly support this increase, it wouldn’t have been possible. I want to thank all those Michiganians who have repeatedly and loudly called for Lansing to take action.”
In her State of the State Address earlier this year, Granholm vowed to raise the minimum wage for the citizens of Michigan. On Tuesday, she signed Senate Bill 318, which increases the state’s minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.40 per hour over the next two years.
On October 1 of this year, the minimum wage will jump from $5.15 to $6.95 per hour. It will jump again to $7.15 on July 1, 2007, and again to $7.40 on July 1, 2008.
In her radio address, Granholm credited many groups for their hard work in getting a raise for Michigan, including: Michigan’s labor unions, Michigan House and Senate Democrats, and most importantly, the countless volunteers who stood in the cold, went door to door, who collected signatures, and who raised support for the minimum wage ballot.
While declaring a team victory, Granholm reiterated the need to continue the fight for working men and women in Michigan.
“We have a comprehensive economic plan that we are working everyday to create jobs today, jobs tomorrow, and opportunity for our citizens,” Granholm said. “Just like minimum wage, we’re going to work until we implement every single piece of that plan until we secure the future for every single citizen in Michigan.”
The Governor’s weekly radio address is released each Friday at 10:00 a.m. 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.
