With the federal minimum wage at $7.25 an hour, unchanged for 13 years and counting, states across the country continue to take matters into their own hands.
The latest to join the party is Nebraska, where voters passed an initiative in November’s elections to gradually raise the minimum wage there to $15 per hour by 2026. The first step in that state's process took effect with a bump for cornhuskers to $10.50 per hour on Jan 1.
Nebraska joined 27 states plus Washington, D.C., that increased minimum wage in 2023 as part of initiatives to lift the floor for low-wage workers.
States that raised minimum wage were Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia. Those states were joined by Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington State, which have annual cost of living adjustments taking effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
The bumps are the fruit of years-long efforts from activists and one of the groups, called Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, argues that the increases also make business sense by boosting consumer spending and improving employee morale.
“These employees are, by me, considered an asset and an investment in our business,” said Dave Titterington, the owner of bird supply stores in Nebraska and a member of the coalition. The group noted that more than 300 Nebraska businesses joined their effort this year.
Titterington...
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