Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Kay Hagan released the following statement in recognition of National Minimum Wage Day and renewed her call for Congress to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour.

"Every North Carolinian who works full time, or works multiple jobs just to get by, should earn a wage they can live on and a wage that allows them to support their families. But that's not the reality for minimum wage earners in North Carolina, the majority of whom are women, who struggle each day to pay the bills and put food on the table and gas in the car.

"Today, National Minimum Wage Day, is a gut check for our country. The federal minimum wage has remained unchanged for more than five years, losing its value as it fails to keep up with rising prices and inflation. Gradually increasing the wage to $10.10 an hour would benefit more than one million North Carolinians who would then put that money right back into our local economies - at the grocery store, the hardware store and the auto repair shop. Raising the minimum wage is more than just commonsense, it's part of our commitment to ensure everyone in North Carolina has the opportunity to grow both strong and great, and I won't stop fighting until hardworking North Carolinians are earning the wage they deserve."

In North Carolina, raising the minimum wage would:

· Increase wages for 1.1 million workers by an average of nearly $1600 per year - money that would go right back into our state's economy.
· Lift nearly 220,000 North Carolinians out of poverty.
· Help boost incomes for over 30,000 veterans living in North Carolina and 582,000 nationwide.
· Provide a raise for 600,000 women in North Carolina. Women account for 2 out of every 3 workers earning the minimum wage, and raising it would help to close the gender wage gap.