MADISON — Today, Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and Rep. Angelina Cruz (D-Racine) introduced legislation to raise Wisconsin’s minimum wage to $15 per hour with a scheduled path to reach $20 per hour by 2030.
Wisconsin’s minimum wage has remained stagnant for 17 years. Workers’ purchasing power has eroded with inflation, leaving many Wisconsinites struggling to make ends meet. 30 states have raised their minimum wage above the federally-mandated $7.25, but Wisconsin workers are being left behind.
Sen. Roys issued the following statement:
“Anyone putting in 40 hours a week assembling furniture in Arcadia or working in retail in Rib Lake deserves to earn a living wage. That is not a luxury — that is basic dignity.
“Currently, more than 1 million Wisconsin workers earn less than a living wage, according to a DWD Labor Market brief. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle tell us to trust the free market to set the minimum wage. So I want to ask them: how many Wisconsinites should have to choose between gas to get to their jobs and keeping the lights on? How many of our neighbors should work sixty-five hours a week across three jobs and still end up declaring bankruptcy because of medical debt? How many children in this state should go to school cold because their parents had to pay rent and didn’t have enough left over for a winter coat? A ‘free’ market that doesn’t give families enough freedom to survive is a failed market. And we don’t have to accept it.
“The million workers are why we are here. They are childcare providers, support staff in our schools, CNAs, retail and grocery workers, farm workers, hotel housekeepers. No one working 40-hours per week should be living in poverty, struggling to put food on the table. Wisconsinites believe that an honest day’s work deserves an honest day’s pay. Today, this legislation shows that we do too – everyone deserves the freedom to thrive.”
