Amanda Seitz, Associated Press Updated 12:09 pm PST, Thursday, February 14, 2019 FILE - In this Dec. 9. 2018 file photo, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle speaks during a news conference at the Chicago Teachers Union headquarters in Chicago. Her campaign's claim, made on Twitter and on Facebook last week, says, "Toni Preckwinkle is the only mayoral candidate who has a plan to raise Chicago's minimum wage to $15." It's true that Preckwinkle has a detailed plan to raise the minimum wage — and fast. However, her claim ignores the city's existing law, which already guarantees the minimum wage will eventually reach $15 an hour. (Colin Boyle/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File) less FILE - In this Dec. 9. 2018 file photo, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle speaks during a news conference at the Chicago Teachers Union headquarters in Chicago. Her campaign's claim, made on Twitter ... more Photo: … [Read more...] about AP FACT CHECK: Mayor hopeful omits context on minimum wage
Workers minimum wage
New Jersey reaches agreement to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and lawmakers reached an agreement Thursday to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024. The deal will apply to most workers in the state, and will take effect gradually over the next five years, according to NJ.com. The deal will raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour this July, and then raise it by $1 each year until 2024. Some workers, including employees at small businesses, will have to wait longer than five years. Farm workers’ pay, which held up discussions at multiple stages, will be capped at $12.50 in 2024, according to NJ.com. State officials will decide at that time whether to raise farm workers’ minimum wage to $15 an hour. A worker earning $15 an hour and working 40 hours a week would earn $31,200, before taxes, in a year. “No one working a full-time job should ever live in poverty,” Murphy tweeted Thursday. “Putting the minimum wage on a clear and responsible path to $15/hour is good for workers, … [Read more...] about New Jersey reaches agreement to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour
North Carolina acts deep blue with state worker minimum wage
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Republicans who've infuriated liberal activists on taxes, redistricting and social issues have surprised critics by approving a $15-per-hour minimum wage for thousands of state employees. The "living wage" took effect ahead of similar increases in deep-blue states including New York, California and Massachusetts. Extra pay went into the bank accounts of secretaries, hospital workers, security guards and housekeepers last month. Lawmakers' motives for increasing wages appear to be both economic and political. One top budget writer at the legislature says it helps agencies retain veteran workers doing often thankless jobs. But it also wins favor with North Carolina's chief state employees' union in an election year for Republicans trying to keep General Assembly control. … [Read more...] about North Carolina acts deep blue with state worker minimum wage
Group submits 373k signatures for $12 Michigan minimum wage ballot initiative
Jonathan Oosting Detroit News Lansing Bureau Published 7:46 p.m. UTC May 21, 2018 Lansing — Some low-income Michigan workers and restaurant servers would get a hourly raise under a $12 minimum wage ballot initiative backed by a national advocacy group but opposed by state business groups. Organizers with the Michigan One Fair Wage committee on Monday submitted an estimated 373,507 signatures to the Bureau of Elections, topping the 252,523 valid voter signatures required to make the November ballot. Staff will review the petitions before recommending certification or denial by the Board of State Canvassers. The proposal would raise Michigan’s $9.25 minimum wage to $10 in 2019, $10.65 in 2020, $11.35 in 2021, $12 in 2022 and then tie future increases to inflation. It would also phase out by 2024 a lower rate for restaurant servers and other tipped employees who can earn a guaranteed hourly rate of $3.52. “Our effort will allow Michigan to … [Read more...] about Group submits 373k signatures for $12 Michigan minimum wage ballot initiative
Study finds Uber drivers make less than minimum wage
A new analysis about Uber drivers’ wages finds that they take home about $9.21 an hour, or less than minimum wage in many of the biggest markets where the ride-hailing service operates.The analysis, by the pro-labor think tank Economic Policy Institute, builds on a recent MIT study that at first said that Uber drivers made an average of $3.37 an hour, then revised that figure to a median $8.55 an hour.Uber’s chief economist, Jonathan Hall, rejected the MIT study’s findings in March, and released the San Francisco company’s own per-hour figure after expenses: $13.04.The new calculations released this week are derived from the MIT study plus newly available administrative data from Uber, according to Lawrence Michel, former EPI president and now a distinguished fellow at the institute.“The low pay and small economic weight of Uber and the gig economy overall, coupled with the fact that Uber drivers and other gig workers are mostly working on a part-time … [Read more...] about Study finds Uber drivers make less than minimum wage