By Eric Morath
Wall Street Journal, Nov 9, 2016
A sweep of minimum-wage increases approved Tuesday across four states puts the issue—and other polices aimed at supporting lower-paid workers—back on the table, even in places that approved higher pay floors a year or two ago. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington approved ballot questions seeking to raise minimum wages in those states to $12 an hour or more, and then lock in those higher levels in real terms by binding future increases to the cost of living. And in two states, the provision also guarantees sick leave to workers. ...
Meanwhile, voters in more conservative Arizona approved a $12 an hour minimum wage by 2020, from the current $8.05, and sick benefits. Republican president-elect Donald Trump won the state, showing again that minimum-wage initiatives don’t pose a threat to GOP candidates at the top of the ticket.
The increased minimum wage in the state could lead to higher prices for consumers and smaller profits for some businesses.
But that’s an acceptable trade to improve the quality of workers’ lives, said Judy Clinco, chief executive of Catalina In-Home Services in Tucson, Ariz. She employs many lower-wage home-care workers. The higher minimum in Arizona will help level the playing field between her business and competitors that pay the bottom standard, she said.
Many workers in the industry have to “work two or three jobs and have almost no family life,” Ms. Clinco said. “The increase will allow them to advance themselves.”
In Colorado, voters approved an increase in the minimum wage to $9.30 an hour next year, from $8.31, and then by 90 cents each January until the rate reaches $12 an hour. In Maine, the minimum wage will increase to $9 an hour in 2017 from $7.50, and then $1 each year until 2020. ...
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