Senate votes to increase minimum wage in state

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Wisconsin’s minimum wage would go up by 17 percent now – and it would automatically rise each year for inflation under a bill the state Senate passed Tuesday.

All 18 Democrats voted yes, and 14 Republicans voted no, to raising the wage from $6.50-an-hour to $7.60.

Officials said it would give an instant raise to about 225,000 employees, assuming their jobs don’t get cut, which is what Republicans say would happen in at least some cases.

The GOP also tried but failed to drop the automatic increases for inflation. Jim Pugh of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce group says raises should be tried to productivity.

But Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston, said the automatic increases are vital because politicians don’t touch the issue for years while “the rich are getting richer, and the rest of us are stuck with what’s left behind.”

Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, said it’s not just teens getting the minimum wage anymore, it’s adults with families.

Rep. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, said it guarantees that higher wages will go into communities instead of the stock market.

Sen. Ted Kanavas, R-Brookfield, called the bill a mistake. And as even skilled workers lose their jobs, he says the timing couldn’t be worse.

The measure now goes to the Assembly.

Also, the Senate voted 16-15 to make companies that sell or close pay workers before lenders.

Tags: wisconsin news, minimum, wage, increase