Poll: Americans favor paid leave and a higher minimum wage

Dear congressional Republicans: See below for information on some policies that other developed nations already have and Americans want.

Six in 10 Americans favor raising the minimum wage, including nearly half who are strongly in favor, the AP-GfK Poll shows, while only 2 in 10 are opposed. Six in 10 also favor requiring all employers to give paid time off to employees when they are sick, while two-thirds favor requiring all employers to give time off to employees after the birth of a child.

Among Republicans, about half support requiring employers to give paid sick leave and 55 percent support a requirement for paid parental leave.

But the minimum wage divides Republicans more closely, with only 4 in 10 in favor, 31 percent opposed and 27 percent not leaning either way. Half of moderate-to-liberal Republicans, but just a third of conservative Republicans, favor a minimum wage increase.

Please note that other polls have found higher percentages of Republicans favoring a minimum wage increase, and that voters in four heavily Republican states actually passed minimum wage increases last November.

Of course, my dear congressional Republicans, I realize that you don't consider average voters to be your real constituency, and that your favored constituency of business lobbyists and corporate CEOs remains very much opposed to policies that would make workers a little less scared, desperate, and broke. But working Americans aren't going to sit there and take it forever. The fight is on, and workers are starting to build momentum.