Oregon governor signs landmark tiered minimum wage increase into law

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Oregon’s governor on Wednesday signed trailblazing legislation that will raise the minimum wage to nearly $15 in six years, and do so through a three-tiered system that has not been tried anywhere else in the country.

“I’m proud to sign into law my top priority of the 2016 Legislative session – raising the minimum wage,” Governor Kate Brown said in a statement. She said the new law “is a path forward – so working families can catch up, and businesses have time to plan for the increase”.

President Obama said Congress needs to follow Oregon’s example and raise the federal minimum wage, now at $7.25 an hour.

“I commend the Oregon Legislature and Governor Kate Brown for taking action to raise their state’s minimum wage,” Obama said in a statement. The president said 18 states and the District of Columbia have acted since he first called on Congress to increase the federal standard in 2013.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/02/oregon-tiered-minimum-wage-increase-signed-into-law

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Associated Press
Wednesday 2 March 2016 22.45 GMT

[silvershadow]

1. Well ok for sure, but still...6 years to get there. I'm withholding judgment for now, until I can

familiarize myself with it.

[Jitter65]

2. One can promise anything in six years. Why not now? nt

[hfojvt]

3. key facts

Oregon's current minimum is $9.25

the new law only raises it to $14.75 in Portland
it is $13.75 in other cities (defined how? - they never say)
and $12.75 in rural areas

[oldandhappy]

5. Thank you for this post.

It is a start.

[oldandhappy]

4. Congratulations to Oregon for trying -- but 6 years? Really?

I do not know what the scale is. Anyway, glad to see something happening. Good job Oregon.

[Jenny_92808]

6. It is a first step I guess

Still not enough $....or fast enough.

[PersonNumber503602]

10. I understand where you're coming from with not fast enough, but I'm curious how much you think the

minimum wage should and how it should be applied and determined.

[Jenny_92808]

11. In ~1970 it was at it's highest, then

It should be adjusted yearly (cost of living) from there.

[PersonNumber503602]

12. What was 8.50 in the 70's? A living wage?

Also, cost-of-living varies across different parts of the country. If you had control, would the minimum wage be based on local cost-of-living, or would it be the same across the board? I see problems with it being across the board, because the wage for someone to live in NYC would be astronomical compared to someone in a small mid-western town. There is definitely a point in which it would too high of a min wage would hurt the job situation in those low cost-of-living regions. If you just take an average of certain sample points and apply it across the board, then it may not be enough for those who live in cities with ridiculously high cost-of-living.

I'm just curious of others ideas on how that works out, and how they would handle those realities.

I think the only way for it to work is for it to be regionally adjusted like they are doing Oregon. But the problem with that that is that more conservative states will never do it. So we end up needing the federal minimum that we have. But the federal minimum has to account for everyone's needs who live in both high and low cost-of-living areas.

[Akamai]

7. Good for our Governor, Kate Brown! More money in the pockets of people who will spend it will lift

the economy!

Krugman likes this approach, Jared Bernstein, Reich, and other sane economists like it, and I LOVE it!

Great!

[killbotfactory]

8. In a consumer driven economy, it's important for consumers to actually have money.

Why don't some people understand that?

[Matthew28]

9. Awesome news! Glad to live in a state with a majority of sane people that vote.