rally jobs with justice saint louis saturday

 fox2now.com/news/ktvi-stlouis-unity-rally-support-wisconsin-protestors-20110226,0,3122726.story

KTVI
St. Louisans Hold Unity Rally To Support Wisconsin Protestors
By Teresa Woodard

FOX2now.com

1:19 PM CST, February 26, 2011

TOWN & COUNTRY, MO (KTVI - FOX2now.com)

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A rally in St. Louis Saturday was held in solidarity with workers in Wisconsin. While protesters in that state are upset over a proposal to cut the budget by ending collective bargaining rights for some public worker unions, local demonstrators say Missouri has its own battle to fight. It's all about the minimum wage.

"Support public workers! Support public workers," they chanted outside a shuttered Wal Mart in Town and Country. About 50 people who support organized labor said they were there to support the working people in the state of Wisconsin.

"People are here because of the energy and inspiration provided by the working people of Wisconsin right now," said Lara Granich, of Jobs with Justice. "But we know workers aren't just under attack in Wisconsin, they're under attack in Missouri as well."

'The Missouri house is considering a bill that would repeal our minimum wage," said Granich, "including repealing a key provision that allows the minimum wage to go up a little each year to keep up with the cost of inflation"

The bills being debated in the House and Senate would essentially kill the cost of living adjustment, because it would keep the state's minimum wage, from ever exceeding the federal minimum wage.

Joe Wicks was in the crowd. He is a waiter in the loop making $3.63 an hour.

"It's hard, it's hard to keep up with daily bills, food, rent, utilities, gas to get to work, it's hard," he said. "And it's sad to know that these people who are supposed to represent the people of Missouri are so dead set against helping the people of Missouri."

From the rally, they divided themselves up into several groups who went to knock on doors and make calls, trying to encourage voters to contact their lawmakers.

"It's a direct repeal of the will of the voters," said Wicks.

In Wisconsin, there are lots of people saying it's beyond time to be more fiscally conservative. Some say if Missouri's minimum wage continues to inch up, the cost of doing business here goes up, and jobs may leave.

"There are a lot of ways to fix the budget crisis and we think you should look not just at cuts but ways you can bring revenue into our state to keep investing in our greatest assets that will help our economy recover," said Granich.

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