Listen to this article
A state question proposed recently that would raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2029 has met with a legal challenge from the State Chamber of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
State Question 832, which has progressed only to the point of being subject to debate in the public square, was formally proposed recently by Kelsey Cobb of El Reno and Dustin Phelan of Salina. However, an increase to the state’s minimum wage, which has been linked to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 since 2008, has been proposed, including by legislation, frequently in recent years. A vocal advocate, state Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, has said that anyone who works a minimum-wage job in Oklahoma likely would have to hold more than one job to make ends meet.
Opponents of a minimum-wage increase, including State Chamber President and CEO Chad Warmington, have pointed out that state employers already have responded to pressures to raise wages. They’ve also argued that a government mandate such as what’s been proposed by SQ 832 would hurt businesses and employees by extension.
Specifically, the proposed question, which could be put to Oklahoma voters in 2024, would raise the minimum wage to $9 in 2025 and increase it by $1.50 each year until it would reach $15 in 2029. Thereafter, wages would go up based on wage data reported annually by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Young, a Democrat from Oklahoma City who has unsuccessfully tried to advance several bills...
US President made 7 claims, all false: Iran warns of closing Hormuz amid naval blockade: File photo (Source: Xinhua/IANS) Tehran, April 18 (IANS) Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf...