The Raise the Wage Coalition backed by the Oregon AFL-CIO will begin collecting signatures for Initiative Petition 58, a measure that increases Oregon’s minimum wage to $13.50 by 2018 and allows local governments to set a higher wage.
“Beginning January 7, the Raise the Wage Coalition hit the streets in communities across the state to collect the 89,000 signatures we need to qualify Initiative Petition 58 for the November ballot,” said Tom Chamberlain, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. “The measure raises the statewide minimum wage to $13.50 and allows cities to raise local wages to $15.”
Oregon’s current minimum wage is $9.25 an hour, the result of the state minimum staying flat since early 2015. This meant that as of January 1, Oregon dropped from the 2nd to the 9th highest minimum wage in the nation. According to Chamberlain this news is a setback for the 100,000-plus workers who were relying on a raise this year.
Oregon is now one of 11 states working to raise the minimum wage in 2016 – alongside states such as Missouri, Kentucky, and Ohio.
“Oregonians around the state are working hard, sometimes at multiple part-time jobs, but still struggling to make ends meet. They can’t wait another day for a raise, so neither will we,” said Andrea Paluso, executive director of Family Forward. “We are hopeful that legislators will do the right thing and pass a bill that secures a significant raise for workers in a reasonable amount of time, lifts preemption, and leaves no one behind. If they don’t take action in February, we fully intend to take this fight to the ballot and are clearly preparing to do so. The bottom line is that Oregon must raise the minimum wage in 2016.”
Courtney Graham
503.330.8422
Courtney@ouroregon.org
