Minimum wage has bubbled to the surface of the gubernatorial race after Gov. Scott Walker said to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board while he won’t repeal the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, he doesn’t feel it serves a purpose.
His opponent, Mary Burke, has a very different position regarding this issue, Barry Burden, University of Wisconsin professor of political science, said. Burke has come out in support of the initiative endorsed by President Barak Obama to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, what proponents of this idea call a “living wage.”
Walker told the Journal Sentinel editorial board in a meeting Tuesday that while he does not seek to repeal it, he doesn’t think it serves a purpose because “we’re debating then what the lowest levels are at.” He said he’d like people to making two or three times the amount of the current minimum wage, and he’s focused on programs that create higher paying jobs.
Burke and her supporters have criticized this position, and Burke said in response to Walker’s comment that she believes “it’s important that people who are working full-time are able to support themselves without government assistance.”
Citizen Action Executive Director Robert Kraig, said he agrees $7.25 per hour is not enough to allow for this.
“No serious economist or person trying to live in our society feels that the current minimum wage in Wisconsin is enough to live off of,” Kraig said.
However, Walker has said he needs more evidence to support this.
Burden said because there is no mechanism in place to adjust the minimum wage over time, it is actually worth less than it used to be and many are in support of at least adjusting the minimum wage to reflect the realities of today’s economy.
This divide could have serious implications for the outcome of the race, Burden said.
“Surveys show that most of the public is in support of increasing the minimum wage, so to the degree that this issue gets primed over the next few weeks, I would think that it would work in Burke’s advantage,” Burden said.
Kraig said he believes raising the minimum wage may only be the first step to improving quality of life and strengthening Wisconsin’s economy, but that it is an important first step. He said the benefits will outweigh the costs all over the board, as consumers are able to purchase more goods and services, as well as support themselves and their families, if they are making more.
In last Friday’s debate, Walker did not directly address minimum wage, but said he would focus on improving access to technical education throughout the state and create more higher paying jobs.
Kraig said people and groups across the country are working to increase the minimum wage, and this debate is not just happening in Wisconsin. He said although minimum wage is not a total solution, it is a first step in making up for the loss of “good jobs” across the state.
