Minnesota House Passes Minimum Wage Increase

The Minnesota House, today, passed legislation that would increase the state minimum wage to $9.50 per hour over three years and tie future increases to inflation. Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson issued the following statement in response:

“The Minnesota House took a huge step forward today in ensuring better wages for hundreds of thousands of hard working Minnesotans. The minimum wage has continued to lose value over the last 40 years; this legislation would begin to restore some of its buying power.

By passing a meaningful minimum wage increase, like the one authored by Rep. Ryan Winkler, low-wage workers can be part of Minnesota’s economic recovery. For every $1 dollar increase in the minimum wage there is a boost in consumer spending by a low-wage workers’ household by $2,800 over the following year.

We also applaud House members for rejecting a sub-minimum wage penalty for tipped workers. Contrary to the rhetoric, the actual median wage for Minnesota’s servers, including tips, is only $8.84 per hour.

The Minnesota AFL-CIO has made a meaningful increase in the minimum wage a top legislative priority this session. We are proud to be part of a diverse coalition of labor unions, faith groups, non-profit organizations, and small business owners advocating for a higher wage. We strongly urge the Minnesota Senate to significantly improve its minimum bill before passage.”