No $15 minimum wage in Ohio, so what is next for workers?

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America's Work Force Union Podcast AWF Government Affairs and Policy Policy Matters Ohio

policy matters Ohio

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Michael Shields

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Michael Shields, Economist from Policy Matters Ohio, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss a failed signature-gathering campaign to raise Ohio’s minimum wage to $15 per hour. He explained why minimum wage workers in Ohio deserve a pay raise.

According to Shields, Ohio's working people continuously set new records for how much wealth they produce for the state and their employers. Unfortunately, the wages have not kept up with inflation. Shields discussed Ohio's past minimum wage increases and why workers need a policy solution.

A $15 minimum wage would align Ohio with 14 other states and Washington, D.C. These states have already passed minimum wage increases to $15 or higher. Shields explained that these states have nearly 42 percent of the American population and some of the highest living costs. Union members in Ohio do not generally suffer from the minimum wage, however, according to Shields, union members could see a pay raise if there were to be a minimum wage increase.

For almost eight months, a signature-gathering campaign was underway across Ohio for a $15 minimum wage to be placed on the ballot. Shields discussed why the group in charge of the campaign chose not to submit the signatures. Whether it’s a citizen-initiated ballot measure or state legislation, working people are eager to see an increase in the minimum wage, according to Shields. Workers deserve the ability to work a full-time job without being unable to make a livable wage.

Listen to the show above to hear more from Shields.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

No $15 minimum wage in Ohio, so what is next for workers?

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