Espey: Iowa needs a $15/hour minimum wage
About three weeks ago, Democrats in the Iowa Senate passed Senate File 269, a bill that would raise the current minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.75/hour by 2016. Democratic leaders settled on $8.75 — rather than something higher and more substantial — to show their Republican colleagues that they were willing to compromise.If nothing else, we learned from last fall's elections that compromising on bread-and-butter issues is a losing strategy.We think Iowa workers are worth more than $8.75 an hour.And we're not alone — big companies like Walmart, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods announced last month that they would raise their minimum pay to $10/hour next year.An increase like the one proposed earlier this year by Iowa House File 71 would raise our minimum wage to $10.10/hour, with indexing to account for inflation each year. That's a step in the right direction, but what Iowa really needs is a minimum wage of $15/hour.The Iowa Policy Project estimates "a single parent of two children who is working a full-time job would need to make $28.07/hr to cover basic, no-frills monthly expenses." And that worker would not be getting employer-provided health insurance, or any public-assistance income.A higher minimum wage is good for Iowa's economy. The higher the minimum wage, the more money people spend in their local communities, which helps the whole state.A higher minimum wage is good for Iowa families, too. Individuals who would otherwise work two or three jobs to make ends could cut back to one, freeing up living-wage jobs across the state.Our legislative leaders should place more value on Iowa workers, and fight for what's right. All Iowans should have access to fair and fulfilling work. When we demand that individuals work two or three jobs just to get by because we refuse to raise the minimum wage, we compromise our Iowa values. We all expect time with our families and dignity in our work, because we should — and it's right.Iowa needs a living wage, and a minimum wage of $15/hour.There's still time to act this year, before the legislative session ends.See the piece in the Register here. Join the fight!
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