English subtitles for clip: File:2014-03-08 President Obama's Weekly Address.webm

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The President: Hi, everybody.

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This week, I traveled to
New England, where I was

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joined by four governors
who are working to raise

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the minimum wage in
each of their states.

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And they've also joined me
in calling on Congress

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to raise the minimum wage
from

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$7.25 to $10.10 an hour.

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Because it would give
nearly 800,000 Americans

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in their states a raise -
and lift wages for about

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28 million across
the country.

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So these governors aren't
waiting for Congress

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to make up its mind.

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And in my State of the
Union Address, I asked

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America's business leaders
to go ahead and do what

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they could to raise their
employees' wages, too.

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And increasingly, it's not
just large companies

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like Costco or the Gap that
choose to pay their

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employees higher
starting wages.

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It's smaller businesses
like Jaxson's,

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a family-owned ice cream
parlor in South Florida.

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They answered the call and
raised their wages so that

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more than 70 employees
would earn at least $10.10

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an hour, without
cutting back on hiring.

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And two weeks ago, an
Atlanta small business

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owner named Darien
Southerland

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wrote me to share a lesson
his grandmother taught him

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- that if you treat your
employees right,

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they'll treat you right.

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And Vice President Biden
paid

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him a visit this week.

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I agree with these
business owners,

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which is why I issued an
executive order requiring

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federal contractors to pay their
employees a fair wage

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of at least $10.10 an hour.

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It's good for
our bottom line.

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And working Americans have
struggled through stagnant

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wages for far too long.

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A clear majority of
Americans support raising

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the minimum wage, because
we believe that nobody

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who works full-time should
have to live in poverty.

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About half of all
Republicans support

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raising the
minimum wage, too.

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It's just too bad they
don't serve in Congress.

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Because the Republicans
who do serve in Congress

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don't want to vote on
the minimum wage at all.

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Some even want to get
rid of it completely.

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Seriously.

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That's why what business
leaders and everyday

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Americans are doing
to raise wages

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is so important.

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Because change doesn't
come from Washington -

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change comes
to Washington.

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I've always believed that,
and it's true

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in this case, too.

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Outside Washington,
Americans are ready

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to put aside old political
arguments

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and move this country forward.

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The American people are
way ahead of Congress

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on this issue, and we've just

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got to let Congress know that.

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It's time for "ten-ten."

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It's time to give
America a raise.

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And it's time to restore
opportunity for all.

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Thanks, and have
a great weekend.