Raising the minimum wage has been a high-profile topic both locally and nationally in recent years. In Arizona, Flagstaff is at the center of that debate with the highest minimum wage in the state. The city has been gradually raising it in recent years, and on January first it’ll again increase to $15.50 an hour, more than $3 higher than the state’s.
To help sort through the changes, KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius spoke with Chris Rhode who oversees the city’s Office of Labor Standards, which is in charge of enforcing the minimum wage.
More information can be found on the city’s website.
Ryan Heinsius: Have businesses in Flagstaff generally been complying with the city’s wage rules?
Chris Rhode: In general, yes. You’re always going to have a couple that issues arise with, but this office has been in existence for five years now and over that time we’ve seen the number of complaints go down. The first year or two, in 2017 and 2018, when we really for the first time dealing with this, we did see a higher number of complaints, and over that time, businesses have learned about the wage, they know its effects. So, it’s something I think that businesses have become accustomed to and as such they’re complying with it more and more. Far and out, we’re seeing a lot of compliance and we haven’t had too many allegations in recent years of people grossly being paid under the minimum wage.
RH: Flagstaff’s minimum wage goes up to $15.50 on Jan. 1. How did we get to this point and why will it be...
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