Voters on Nov. 8 will decide ballot measures in five states that could change the minimum wage. Here’s a rundown:
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ARIZONA: Proposition 206 would raise the minimum wage from $8.05 to $10 in 2017, and then incrementally to $12 by 2020. The measure would require employers to offer paid sick leave, 40 hours a year for employees of large businesses and 24 hours of paid sick leave per year to employees of small businesses.
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COLORADO: Amendment 70 would hike the minimum wage from $8.31 to $9.30 per hour in 2017 and then increase it 90 cents each year until the wage reaches $12.00 in 2020. The measure would also gradually reduce the “tip credit” for tipped employees such as waiters, meaning those employees couldn’t make less than $3.02 an hour less than non-tipped employees
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MAINE: Question 4 would raise the minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 by 2020, thereafter adjusting it with fluctuations in the consumer price index. The measure also gradually eliminates the “tip credit” for tipped employees such as waiters, meaning those employees would make the full minimum wage before tips.
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SOUTH DAKOTA: Referred Law 20 asks voters to reconsider a reduction to the minimum wage for workers under 18. Voters raised the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour in 2014, with inflation adjustments, making the current wage $8.55. State lawmakers have since lowered that wage for workers under 18 to $7.50. Voters will decide whether to retain the lower youth wage, or to set the same minimum wage for employees of any age.
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WASHINGTON: Initiative 1433 would raise the minimum wage from $9.47 to $13.50 by 2020. The measure would also require employers to provide paid sick leave - one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked.
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