Oregon governor asks for huge minimum wage hikes

Frustration over the proposed $15 minimum wage across NY state was voiced Thursday as business owners, organizations, and local and state government officials joined together at Tags Restaurant and Banquet Facility in Big Flats. Still, she said, the plan gives businesses certainty and time to plan. Michael Sorge, owner of Sorge’s Restaurant in Corning, said that the increase will add an additional $30,000 per year to his expenses.

“Not that I’m opposed to increases to minimum wage, I’m not, but they need to be more reasonable”, he said.

Justin Norton-Kertson, campaign manager for Oregonians for $15, said the group has collected almost 40,000 signatures for their ballot initiative and projects having 50,000 to 60,000 signatures by early March.

Like many on the panel, O’Mara said he’s not against raising the minimum wage, but the amount should not be $15.

The six year lead-in drew fire from backers of a proposed ballot measure that would set the minimum wage at $15 by 2019.

Under her proposal the minimum wage outside Portland would increase from the current $9.25 an hour to $10.25 in 2017 and then gradually rise to $13.50 by 2022.

“The goal was to make sure that for our businesses throughout the state of OR, that there was a glide path – an ample opportunity for preparation and planning as we increase the minimum wage”, the governor said.

Opponents to hiking the minimum indicated they’re gearing up to thwart the initiative.

One of the loudest voices: Raise the Wage Coalition, called Brown’s proposal a step in the right direction, but the group isn’t on board yet.

“We are well on track to have enough signatures collected by July to put this on the ballot”, Norton-Kertson said Wednesday.

Many say the resolution is long overdue and say the fight should go to the ballot.

Brown’s office said her proposal results from “conversations with stakeholders in both the public and private sectors”.

The proposal could mean raises for employees working in logging, agriculture, retail, leisure and mining, jobs that make up about two-thirds of all minimum wage jobs in Oregon. Democratic leadership has indicated they want to pass legislation in February to head off a battle at the ballot box in November over two dueling initiatives to hike minimum wage.

“The abuse of one party running the state has risen to unacceptable levels”, House Minority Leader Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, told about 50 people who made a seven-hour bus trip from Ontario to protest a minimum wage hike. But, in light of Brown’s announcement Dembrow said Thursday he’s withdrawing his proposal.