On May 22nd, Raising Wages NC hosted a lobby day to raise our state's minimum wage.

The raising wages lobby day brought business owners and workers from across the state to Raleigh to talk to legislators about the need to raise the wage. Together they called for representatives to put North Carolina on the path to $15 an hour for all workers. Thanks to the efforts of organizers, faith leaders, advocates, and allies, over 300 people attended the lobby day.

LEFT BEFORE DAWN The day began bright and early for many that attended the event. Delegates from western North Carolina left before dawn to make it to Raleigh. Our buses left from Asheville,  Greensboro, Burlington, Charlotte, & Wilmington.	GATHERED FOR A TRAINING Our group gathered in William Peace University's historic chapel for a quick training. Business owners and employees alike gave testimony on why now is the time to raise the wage.
SPLIT INTO TEAMS Equipped with materials and messaging, we split into teams and took a moment to get to know one another.	HARD WORK PAYS OFF Months of planning culminated in dozens of meetings with elected officials. We talked to legislators throughout the rest of the day.

MEETINGS AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Our meetings with legislators went smoothly. Here Andy Dulin (Republican) poses with workers, business owners, and others speaking with him on the need to raise wages.

AFTERNOON PRESS CONFERENCE

We held a press conference at 1 PM that made the evening news and was widely covered in print the following day. The room quickly filled to capacity, leaving many individuals gathered outside to stand in support. Fortunately, you can find a full live stream coverage of the press event on the Raising Wages NC Facebook page. We'll also embed the video below: