This Thursday, as Federal Reserve officials make a crucial decision on interest rates, the advocates, economists, and workers of the Fed Up coalition will be joined by Rep. John Conyers (D – Mich.) for a press conference calling on the Fed to not slow down the economy by raising interest rates prematurely. Rep. Conyers is the founder of the Congressional Full Employment Caucus, which works to build an economy where everybody who wants to can find a good job that pays a living wage.
The Fed Up coalition’s press conference will directly precede Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s press conference and will be at the same location.
Last month, members of the Fed Up coalition, led by workers, economists and advocates, held a conference in Jackson Hole, WY adjacent to the Federal Reserve’s own symposium. The coalition delivered more than 119,000 petition signatures calling on the Fed to keep interest rates low to allow for more jobs and higher wages. Over the past weeks, numerous influential voices – Lawrence Summers, Joseph Stiglitz, the NY Times Editorial Board, the chief economist of the World Bank, and others – have spoken up against the Fed’s intentionally slowing down the economy.
What: Press conference calling on the Federal Reserve to not raise interest rates prematurely. Visuals will include approximately 50 people in bright green t-shirts with signs about the labor market, the Federal Reserve, and interest rates.
Who: Rep. John Conyers (D – Mich.)
Connie Razza, director of strategic research at the Center for Popular Democracy
Josh Bivens, Director of Research and Policy, Economic Policy Institute
Maria Maisonet, member of New York Communities for Change
Aracelly Moreira, member of Make the Road New York
Keesha Moore, member of Action United, Philadelphia
Where: On the sidewalk outside of 1801 K Street, NW, Washington DC, 20006
When: Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 12:00 pm EDT
RSVP: Members of the press interested in participating are encouraged to RSVP via email to press@populardemocracy.org