Minneapolis, Minnesota joins the “fight for $15.”

States such as New York and California have recently passed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour statewide. Many municipalities such as Seattle and Washington D.C. have also passed legislation to raise the local minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The minimum wage was created to ensure that U.S. workers earn the compensation needed to maintain a minimum standard of living that protects the health and well-being of each worker. The minimum wage no longer ensures a worker affordable housing and a stable standard of living.

More and more cities and states are adopting higher minimum wages to increase citizens’ standard of living. Minnesota raised it’s minimum wage to $9.00 statewide for large employers – which is set to increase to $9.50 on August 1st of this year. Workers in the City of Minneapolis are hoping for a larger hike.

A report released yesterday by the Midwest Economic Policy Institute (MEPI), A Minimum-Wage Worker Cannot Afford a Modest Apartment: Evidence from Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa, finds that full-time, minimum-waged workers in Hennepin County must earn $15.63 an hour to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment. Thus, $15 an hour for Minneapolis would help low-wage workers afford rent.

MW_MN

Many Americans across the county are rent-burdened and cannot afford adequate housing. These Americans spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Any income spent on rent above 30 percent of an individual’s income has been shown to burden households, disproportionately requiring discretionary income to be allocated for housing at the expense of other necessities, such as food and healthcare. Raising the minimum wage helps reduce those who are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

Minneapolis should be next in line and consider implementing a $15 minimum wage. The increase would substantially help those who are working and living in the city.

Video credits go to Workday Minnesota. The video – and an article by Randy Croce on the Workday Minnesota website – can be viewed at this link: www.workdayminnesota.org/articles/campaign-kicks-pass-15-wage-minneapolis