ABQjournal: Minimum Wage Hike Pressed, Could End Up On The Legislature’s Calendar By Barry Massey
The Associated Press
“Increasing the minimum wage is a proven way to decrease poverty,” Gerry Bradley, an economist with New Mexico Voices for Children, said Thursday in releasing a report critical of the state’s economy.
A greater share of New Mexicans — about 6 percent — work in jobs paying at or below the minimum wage than any other state in the nation, he said.
“The bottom line is New Mexico’s economy is not an engine for opportunity and prosperity for far too many of our working families. A staggering 43 percent of New Mexicans live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level,” said Bradley. …
There are 16 states and the District of Columbia with minimum wages above the federal level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The state of Washington has a $7.35 an hour minimum wage, which is adjusted yearly for inflation. Oregon is next with a $7.25-an-hour.
Anybody know which the other 14 states are? Have they all gone to hell as a result of raising the minimum wage? mjh