Representatives from Ground Game Texas held a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce its new initiative aimed at raising the minimum wage in Mission.
“Ground Game Texas, the organization that’s spearheading the initiative, is a statewide organization that’s based out of Austin,” Abel Prado, the campaign manager for the initiative, said following the news conference. “They focus on civic engagement and progressive issues — notably, raising minimum wage across the state and legalizing marijuana.”
The organization launched its initiative, called “Mission Quince,” with the goal of raising the minimum wages for city workers and contractors in Mission to $15 an hour. Currently, the minimum wage is $7.25, a rate that has not changed since 2009.
Prado said his organization chose to focus on the city of Mission because of its size, as well as an ordinance in the city charter that allows for petitions as a means of getting policies enacted.
If enacted, he said the policy would raise wages for nearly half of the city’s employees.
“We think that if the city enacts the policy and sets the example, it puts pressure on private businesses to do the same,” Prado said.
He said the campaign currently has support for local business leaders and city leaders.
The campaign needs 1,860 signatures in order for the initiative to be placed on a ballot, but Prado said the organization is aiming for 2,600. The first signature was collected Thursday.
According to the city charter, the organization has 45 days to collect the required amount of signatures.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Prado said. “It’s not something that people really fight for a lot down here. I think the RGV has a ‘Keep your head down, do your work, don’t be a troublemaker’ type of attitude that we’re all raised with. We’re not taught to ask for raises at work. We’re taught to just do whatever the boss says, keep your head down and be a good worker.”
He said that he hopes the initiative helps people to realize their value as workers and inspires dialogue for better wages.
“We’re hoping that one of the byproducts is letting (workers) know that they’re allowed to negotiate,” Prado said. “Your boss needs you way more than they’re going to admit. Getting people to realize that they have a lot of power as a worker and that they can negotiate for better wages is something that we hope we can establish as a changing of the culture.”
More information about the petition can be found at www.groundgametexas.org/en/mission.
