Legislators are put on the spot to ‘raise the wage’
Raise the wage to at least $9.50 per hour, indexed to inflation, was the message area senators and representatives received from more than 80 residents Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Itasca County YMCA. Legislation to increase the minimum wage passed both the Minnesota House and the Minnesota Senate during the 2013 session, but in different forms. The House version calls for $9.50 an hour while the Senate bill tops out at $7.75. This critical issue will be back before the legislature in 2014. Senators Tom Saxhaug (D-Grand Rapids) and David Tomassoni (D-Chisholm), along with state representatives Tom Anzelc (D-Balsam Township), Carly Melin (D-Hibbing), John Persell (D-Bemidji), Jason Metsa (D-Virginia) and Joe Radinovich (D-Crosby) addressed citizen concerns about raising the wage at the forum.
Families are struggling to put food on the table and pay the rent, according to Kathleen Blake, Northern Minnesota Organizer for TakeAction Minnesota.
