Community Groups Ask for Increase in Minimum Wage

Community groups around the state are asking local and federal politicians to raise the minimum wage.

Labor organizers have collected over 500,000 signatures, both in Wisconsin and across the nation. Backers hope the signatures will pressure elected officials to increase the minimum wage.

Adria Pate is a young mother who says she made more money on public assistance than she does now working a minimum wage job. She says raising the wage would allow low income families to have a better quality of life. “It would be better to raise the minimum wage so that people would be able to make enough money. Families would do better if they don’t have to worry about their bills, it’d be less stress and you could have more family time.”

The minimum wage in Wisconsin is $7.25 an hour. According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the pay rate has not been raised since 2009.