Give Arkansas a Raise Now, a coalition dedicated to increasing the minimum wage in Arkansas, is collecting signatures for an initiative that would put the issue on Arkansas ballots this November.
If passed, the proposal would incrementally increase the minimum wage. On Jan. 1, 2015, the minimum wage would increase to $7.50; on Jan. 1, 2016, it would increase to $8; on Jan. 1, 2017, the final increase would be to $8.50.
Stephen Copley, chair of Give Arkansas a Raise Now, said the change is made incrementally so small businesses can plan and budget ahead. He said the figures chosen are the most feasible options for Arkansas based on the cost of living.
“People who work on minimum wage jobs really are working hard and playing by the rules, but they are living in poverty,” Copley, who is also a United Methodist pastor, said. “For me, as a person of faith, the God that I see in Scripture has a great concern for those who are poor and a concern that they don’t remain there.”
Senior Mary Kate Collins, chair of the College Republicans, said an increase in the minimum wage would do more harm than good.
“It will take away many entry-level jobs, as employers will no longer be able to staff as many people,” Collins said. “Minimum-wage jobs are entry-level positions filled by employees who have limited work experience and few job skills. These workers need to show their reliability and gain some basic workplace skills before they are qualified for higher-paying jobs.”
Copley and Collins both recognize the topic of minimum wage legislation is especially relevant due to President Obama’s comments in the Jan. 28 State of the Union address.
Arkansas Democrat Sen. Mark Pryor told Bloomberg he opposes Obama’s measure to raise the minimum wage for federal workers to $10.10, because it is “too much, too fast.” However, Pryor said he would endorse the ballot initiative in Arkansas.
According to a report from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, 15 percent of the Arkansas workforce would benefit from increasing the wage. The report also stated that 85 percent of minimum wage workers are age 20 and older, a majority are full-time workers and 85 percent work more than 20 hours per week.
The ballot initiative from Give Arkansas a Raise Now requires more than 62,000 signatures by June 30 in order to appear on the ballot this November, according to an article about Arkansas minimum wage from The Huffington Post.
Copley and Give Arkansas a Raise Now also helped pass a previous minimum wage increase in 2005-2006 under former Gov. Mike Huckabee in a special legislative session. The current minimum wage in Arkansas is $6.25; the federal minimum wage is $7.25.
