The New York State Wage Board is considering an increase in the minimum wage, to $15.00 an hour. In Phoenix, workers gathered Monday outside a Phoenix McDonald’s Restaurant to support the increase and press for a similar hike in Arizona.
Thomas Robles was among the protestors.
“Recently a report came out that a living wage, in order for you to live a somewhat decent life, you gotta make $15.84 here in Arizona alone, so, while the jump may seem high, it’s really just enough to help people get by,” Robles said.
He said the minimum wage in the 1970s, if it were adjusted for inflation, would be almost $15.00 an hour.
But, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said, while he’d like to see people make more money, business and not government should decide when increases take place,
“The Congressional Budget Office said that a national increase in the minimum wage could result in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. In this economy, we need more jobs, that’s what I’ve been focused on,” Ducey said.
Ducey said base pay should be left up to the marketplace.