Beginning January 2008 Ohio’s lowest wage earners will be getting a much-needed raise. The successful labor led 2006 ballot initiative to raise the state minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $6.85 has been in place for one year now. Now, the progressive and all-important part of the initiative goes into place – providing an annual pay raise as the consumer price index rises. This means the first wage index based on inflation moves the new minimum wage rate to $7.00 per hour for non-tipped employees. Tipped employees are also receiving a raise but at a different rate.
As you may remember during the 2006 campaign the Ohio AFL-CIO was firm about removing politics from the minimum wage debate and therefore the annual rate index was the key. As we said then and repeat now when you stand with one worker you stand with all workers. As Ohio continues its stark wage decline compared to rest of the nation a raise for our lowest wage workers is a step in the right direction.
Ohio and America’s economic future are at a crossroad. One path leads us to the hope of re-invigorating our private sector economy and resurgence in manufacturing. Another path takes us further toward exploitation of third world and newly industrialized workforces, where multi-national greed and the investor class economy trump human rights, labor law, environmental and monetary standards. The Ohio AFL-CIO believes economic justice will be a top priority issue during the important 2008 elections and will call on its union affiliates to participate fully in the Labor 2008 political program. Our jobs and our economic future depend on it.
