Published Fri, Nov 11 2022
By Kamaron McNair
The economy may have been top of mind for voters across the country, but in Nebraska, Nevada and the District of Columbia, voters were able to directly impact people’s paychecks with measures to increase the areas’ minimum wages.
In Nebraska, initiative 433 — which nearly 60% of voters approved on Tuesday — charts a plan to bring the state’s minimum wage up to $15 over the next few years, then ties increases to the consumer price index (CPI) thereafter.
The state’s minimum wage is currently $9 per hour and will go up accordingly through 2026:
- $10.50 per hour by 2023
- $12 per hour by 2024
- $13.50 per hour by 2025
- $15 per hour by 2026
Workers and advocacy groups celebrated the outcome this week. “Our experience talking to Nebraskans from rural and urban communities all across the state throughout this campaign was that the current $9 minimum wage was simply not enough for anyone to make it,” says Becky Gould, executive director of nonprofit Nebraska Appleseed, which is a member of the Raise the Wage Nebraska coalition. (Read more…)