Sponsor
Alderman DeHahn
Title
November 2014 Referendum for Minimum Wage Increase
WHEREAS, it is one of our most cherished values that there is dignity in work, and that everyone in Wisconsin should have the opportunity to work their way into the middle class, not fall out of it; and
WHEREAS, we are not short of work ethic in Wisconsin, we are short of good jobs that enable working families to begin to work their way up; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin workers are working harder and harder for less and less. Every year the minimum wage stays the same workers take a pay cut, and wages are now so low that millions of full time workers are below the poverty line and qualify for food stamps; and
WHEREAS, if people do not earn enough money to pay for the basics -- like food, rent, and transportation -- the economy stalls, weakening our communities and damaging local businesses; and
WHEREAS, nearly 9 in 10 Wisconsin workers who would benefit from a minimum wage increase are 20 years of age or older, nearly two-thirds are women, and 234,000 Wisconsin children would see their families’ income increase; and
WHEREAS, our government’s role is to maintain a wage and benefit floor to guarantee all work is valued, and that no Wisconsin worker is denied an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work; and
WHEREAS, a $10.10 minimum wage would bring our wage floor to roughly the same level as it was in the late 1960s, adjusted for inflation; and
WHEREAS, a $10.10 minimum wage would raise wages for 587,000 Wisconsin workers by $816 million, and generate over $500 million in additional economic activity in Wisconsin in the next three years, resulting in nearly 4,000 new jobs; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, it’s time Wisconsin worked again for people who work for a living; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the people of Racine shall vote on the following advisory referendum question at the November 2014 general election:
Should the State of Wisconsin increase the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour?
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