WHEN: Thursday, June 25, 2026 · 11:30 AM ET
WHERE: East Front of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC
CONTACTS: One Fair Wage · press@onefairwage.org · 917.499.2688
Sen. Chris Murphy Launches the Senate Companion to the Living Wage For All Act at the East Front of the U.S. Capitol.
The bill — H.R. 8555 in the House — would set a $25 federal minimum wage with no subminimum carveouts. The Washington Post broke the story that morning; HuffPost, MeidasTouch, NPR, Fox 5 DC, and DC News Now followed by end of day.
Washington, DC — On Thursday, June 25, workers, labor leaders, economic justice advocates, and Members of the U.S. Senate gathered on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol to introduce the Senate companion to the Living Wage For All Act. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) is the Senate lead sponsor. The bill would raise the federal minimum wage for every worker to $25 per hour, phased in over several years with a first-year increase to $12 per hour.
The bill is cosponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), and endorsed by more than 100 national organizations — including NAACP, National Education Association, National Action Network, Center for Popular Democracy, SEIU International, AFT, RWDSU, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, UnidosUS, Southern Poverty Law Center, Common Cause, NOW, CLASP, Alliance for a Just Society, Sunrise Movement, Our Revolution, Patriotic Millionaires, and Voices for Progress.
The launch takes the bill bicameral: H.R. 8555 was introduced in the House on April 28 by Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-03), and now has a Senate companion led by Sen. Murphy. The Washington Post ran the exclusive that morning: "Bill to raise the minimum wage to $25 an hour will be introduced in the Senate." HuffPost, MeidasTouch News, NPR, FOX 5 DC, and DC News Now followed with same-day coverage.
The Living Wage For All Act makes federal what workers and voters are already winning at the state and city level. Across the country, campaigns are organizing at $25 and above — with $30 ballot initiatives in signature collection in Alameda County and Los Angeles, $27 legislation under way in Illinois, an NYC City Council bill (Int 0757-2026) to phase the minimum wage to $30 by 2030, and $25 campaigns building in Washington, D.C. and Maryland.
The federal minimum wage has remained stuck at $7.25 since 2009. For more than 17 years, workers have absorbed rising costs for rent, groceries, childcare, and healthcare while their wages have remained stagnant. The bill would also eliminate all subminimum wages for tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities — currently paid as little as $2.13 an hour in several states — and include a built-in wage adjustment to keep the federal floor aligned with typical wages across the economy, so it can never be frozen again.
Event Details
WHAT: Senate Launch — Living Wage For All Act (Senate Companion)
WHEN: Thursday, June 25, 2026 · 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM ET
WHERE: East Front of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC
LEAD: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), with coalition partners
Event photos courtesy of Nortei Dowuona.
On the Podium
- Sen. Chris Murphy, U.S. Senator (D-CT)Senate Lead Sponsor
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Senator (D-CT)Cosponsor
- Sen. Andy Kim, U.S. Senator (D-NJ)Cosponsor
- Sen. Ron Wyden, U.S. Senator (D-OR)Cosponsor
- Saru Jayaraman, President, One Fair Wage
- Coalition leaders from the more-than-100-organization Living Wage For All Coalition
- Workers and organizers from across sectors
In the News — June 25 Senate Launch
Quotes for Media
"If you work full time in this country, you should be able to afford to live. But wages are so low that parents work 60 hours a week and still aren't sure if they'll have lunch money for their kids. Our economy is not working for people and we have to put forward solutions that are as big as the problems American families are facing."
Sen. Chris Murphy U.S. Senator (D-CT) · Senate Lead
"This is what happens when a worker-led movement reaches Washington. For years, workers from California to Connecticut have organized for $25 an hour, not because it's bold but because it's what it takes to live. Today, the Senate caught up to them. The Living Wage For All Act does what no federal wage bill ever has: it sets a real floor, indexes it so it can never be frozen again, and ends every subminimum wage for tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities, so that 'for all' finally means for all. One Fair Wage and more than 100 partner organizations are proud to stand with Senator Murphy to carry this fight into the Senate. One job should be enough to live on. When work pays, democracy begins to work again."
Saru Jayaraman President, One Fair Wage
"A living wage is about the kind of society we want — one where one job is enough; where if you work hard you will have a pathway to a life you and your family can live on. This hugely impacts education. When educators must work two and four jobs to make ends meet, how can they focus on their students? A true living wage is essential — and long overdue — to restoring dignity for workers, supporting families, and ensuring people can fully participate in their communities and in our democracy."
Randi Weingarten President, American Federation of Teachers
"A true living wage is about more than a paycheck — it's about dignity, stability, and the ability for workers to meet their basic needs and support their families. No one who works full time should have to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, or accessing health care. Ensuring a true living wage for all workers is not only the right thing to do — it is a critical investment in shared prosperity and economic opportunity."
Michael McAfee President & CEO, PolicyLink
"The labor movement has always believed that work carries dignity, and dignity demands fair pay. The introduction of the Living Wage For All Act carries on the proud tradition of every worker who ever stood on a picket line and demanded better. This bill recognizes a simple truth: no corporation should profit while its workforce lives in poverty. We applaud its sponsors and will stand behind it every step of the way."
Kim Cordova President, UFCW Local 7
"From my own experience as a CEO, I know that a well-paid workforce is more focused, motivated, and productive — and therefore will deliver stronger returns in the long run. The Living Wage For All Act would bring real economic relief to the millions of Americans struggling from the affordability crisis. Nearly half the country doesn't earn enough to afford basic necessities, and it's about time lawmakers ensured they were guaranteed a living wage. Workers and businesses alike will win under the Living Wage For All Act. I'm thrilled to see Senator Murphy and his colleagues follow their House counterparts' lead in introducing this bill, and why I encourage Congress to pass it without delay."
John Driscoll Chair, Magnit Global · Patriotic Millionaires
"If someone works full time, they should be able to afford a decent life. That's not a radical idea — it's the bare minimum."
Deb Falzoi CEO, End Workplace Abuse
"For 17 years, Washington has left the federal minimum wage at $7.25 while working people have fallen further behind. A living wage is about dignity, but it is also about who holds power in this country. It is tied to every other fight for civil rights — from racial justice, to voting rights, to economic opportunity. The NAACP stands with this coalition because civil rights, racial justice, and economic justice are inseparable."
Derrick Johnson President & CEO, NAACP
Photos From the Launch
About the Coalition
The Living Wage For All Coalition is a national campaign of more than 100 labor, community, civil rights, and economic justice organizations working together to win a living wage for every worker in America. The coalition is advancing a multi-level strategy through federal legislation, state ballot measures, and local campaigns to raise wages, end all subminimum wages, and ensure that work pays enough to meet the real cost of living — with no exceptions. Managed and run by One Fair Wage.