The Center Square
https://www.thecentersquare.com/
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce says a proposed constitutional amendment that would increase the minimum wage in Ohio will hurt small businesses already struggling across the state.
The plan, which received approval from the Ohio Ballot Board on Monday to move ahead with collecting signatures, drew criticism from Chamber CEO Steve Stivers, who called it ill-advised and warned of potential after-effects.
“The Ohio Chamber of Commerce believes that free-market forces result in appropriate wages for workers. Ohio already has a minimum wage which is indexed for inflation. The results of this ballot initiative will be more automation, less jobs and picking winners and losers; it punishes some of the very people it purports to help,” Stivers said.
Ohio’s current minimum-wage grew to $10.10 per hour for non-tipped employees and $5.05 for tipped employees at the beginning of the year.
The rate is linked to the Consumer Price Index to raise the pay along with inflation. The hourly rate gets reevaluated each year.
The proposed amendment, which organizers say likely won’t appear on the statewide ballot until 2024, would raise the minimum wage starting Jan. 1, 2025. It would then increase for the following three years until it reaches $15 an hour Jan. 1, 2028. Minimum wage increases after that would be tied to inflation rates based on the consumer price index, as previously reported by The Center Square.
“The proposed minimum wage...
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