The rally was held on February 18, 2021 to celebrate California’s labor commissioner ordering McDonald’s franchises to rehire and compensate workers who went on strike due to coronavirus protections.
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This November, voters in at least three states will decide whether to raise state minimum wages.
If history is any guide, ballot measures in Alaska, Missouri and California are likely to pass and result in higher wages for workers, said Sebastian Martinez Hickey, a state economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute. salary.
“Since 2014, 12 states have passed minimum wage increases via ballot measures,” Martinez Hickey told CNBC.
He added that in many states, “statewide ballot initiatives are the only viable path because conservative legislatures have failed to raise wages.”
Meanwhile, Arizona voters will decide on a ballot measure that would lower the minimum wage for tipped workers.
In next month’s election, minimum wage workers and employers who pay the minimum wage face the following risks.
Alaska: $15 wage in seasonal economy
Alaska voters will decide whether to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027, with subsequent adjustments tied to inflation. Ballot Measure 1 Raise the minimum wage to $13 in 2025 and $14 in 2026.
The current minimum hourly wage in Alaska is $11.73so for those at the bottom of the income scale, growth will be significant. This will also be far-reaching. EPI said if approved, the price increases would boost incomes for about 30,800 Alaskans estimate.
If the measure passes, employees will also have the opportunity to accumulate 40 hours or 56 hours of paid sick leavedepending on the size of the company they work for.
Fishing in Alaska, USA – Crab fishing boat fishing for king crabs in the Bering Sea.
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“Raising the minimum wage and requiring paid sick leave can incentivize workers to stay on the job and receive stable benefits and decent wages, which benefits both workers and small businesses,” said Joel Hall, president of the Alaska AFL-CIO. help.
Hall added that the measure would allow parents to “better afford basic necessities for their families, such as health care and groceries.”
Katie Capozzi, CEO Alaska Chamber of CommerceThe business community is opposed to this measure.
“With the highly seasonal nature of Alaska’s economy, this will be devastating for our small businesses that are struggling to make ends meet due to years of soaring prices and limited labor,” Capozzi said.
Missouri: Paid sick leave, gradual wage increases
Proposal A If approved, Missouri’s minimum wage will gradually increase and will increase from the current minimum wage of $12.30 to $13.75 an hour on January 1, 2025. By 2026, the minimum wage will reach $15. Thereafter, growth will be based on inflation.
If the measure passes, all employers will also be required to provide their workers with One hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
Richard von Grahn, manager of the Missouri Healthy Families and Fair Wage Campaign, said the ballot measure is “critical.”
“Currently in Missouri, full-time minimum wage workers make less than $500 a week, and one in three Missouri workers does not have paid sick leave.”
“It forces people to choose between their health and their bills, and no one should have to make that choice,” he told CNBC.
California: Cost of living is high, $18 an hour
In California, Proposal 32 The minimum wage will increase from $16 to $18. The timetable for the boost will vary based on employer size, with businesses with 25 or fewer employees having until 2026 to pay the amount. If the measure succeeds, large employers would be required to raise wages to $18 in 2025 and $17 for the remainder of 2024.
Such changes could also push up wages for non-minimum wage workers, estimate Found by California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.
San Francisco ranks among the top five happiest travel destinations in North America.
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The LAO expects companies to pass on additional labor costs to customers, but it expects overall cost increases to be modest, no more than half of 1%.
The Golden State is one of the most expensive states in the U.S. For single adults in California to cover basic expenses, they need $27.32 per hour,according to analyze by MIT.
Massachusetts, Arizona at odds over tipped wages
Massachusetts and Arizona both have ballot measures this fall targeting minimum wages for tipped workers.
Restaurants and other businesses with tipped employees can often pay an hourly wage lower than the prevailing minimum wage in their state because they assume tips will make up the difference. However, low-wage workers and labor advocates say the practice is often abused, leaving workers in precarious and worse situations.
In theory, the law requires employers to ensure tips for tipped workers are at least equal to the regular minimum wage for the hours they work each week, said Martinez Hickey of the Economic Policy Institute.
But in practice, he said, “this is difficult to enforce because it often requires workers to understand the law themselves, calculate the difference between their wages and the legal minimum wage, and confront their employers.”
Question 5 Massachusetts will slowly phase out its $6.75 hourly minimum wage until it finally reaches the state’s standard minimum wage in 2029.
In the Grand Canyon State, Proposition 138 Businesses are allowed to pay tipped workers 25% less than the minimum wage if their total wages plus tips exceed the uniform minimum wage by $2 for all hours worked. As of now, tipped workers can earn about 21% less than the current minimum wage of $14.35, as long as other requirements are met.
“This is a setback for Arizona,” said Geraldine Miranda, economic policy analyst at the Arizona Center for Economic Progress. Miranda estimated that if the ballot measure passes, the average tipped worker will lose about $1,400.
Steve Chucri, president and CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association, helped get the measure on the ballot. He said this “preserves the restaurant and hospitality industry that is critical to Arizona’s economy.”
Chukry said Proposition 138 “is our best defense against union activists who have made clear their plans to impose a California-style pay system on Arizona employers.”
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