Columbus minimum wage proposal would benefit 88,000 workers
Posted May 05, 2016 in Press Releases
Vast majority of low-wage workers are adults and many have families.
For immediate release
Contact: Michael Shields, 216.361.9801
Increasing the minimum wage to $12 an hour in Columbus would deliver a raise worth an average $2.26 an hour to about 88,000 workers, according to a report released today by Policy Matters Ohio, based on analysis of census data. Community advocates have been exploring a stepped minimum wage increase to $12 per hour by 2021. The report found that more than 85 percent of affected workers are adults aged 20 or older, and more than eight in ten have already finished high school. Roughly 67,000 Columbus children have at least one parent who would get a raise. “Increasing the minimum wage will give a needed boost to Columbus workers who are doing their share, but have been left behind,” said Michael Shields, a researcher at Policy Matters Ohio and the author of the report. “Overwhelmingly, these workers are adults and many are supporting families. This is why we need policy solutions to make sure that every job is a living-wage job.” The report also found that a move to raise the minimum wage would increase pay equity across races. Three quarters of workers who stand to gain are white, but black workers are far more likely to earn low wages: a third of them do, compared with about 18 percent of white workers.
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Policy Matters Ohio is a nonpartisan research institute creating a more vibrant, equitable Ohio.