In response to Republican refusal to hold a public hearing in the Capitol, Rep. David Bowen, D-Milwaukee, and several other Democratic lawmakers held an unofficial public hearing in Milwaukee Tuesday about raising the minimum wage.
Rep. Jonathan Brostoff, D-Milwaukee, said he supports an increase in the minimum wage and his colleagues’ move to garner citizen support.
“[Republicans] are scared that it’s popular, that it’s a policy that will get a lot of traction,” Brostoff said.
A bill put forth by several state Democrats last January proposed a gradual increase of the minimum wage over the course of the next two years. The 2017 goal was $10.10 an hour, but since the bill was introduced, progress has stalled. The last documented action taken on the bill was a fiscal report released by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development in April.
Democrat introduces bill to increase Wisconsin minimum wage to $15 per hour
While nearly all Republican legislators oppose a minimum wage increase, the idea has strong Democratic support, with all 49 sponsors signed on the bill hailing from the Democratic Party.
A study commissioned by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute found while 13 percent of the workforce in south-central Wisconsin would benefit from a wage increase, more than 5,000 workers could potentially lose their jobs.
“Does the loss of jobs and opportunity that would result from a higher minimum wage outweigh the benefits of higher wages for some? And is there a better way to help the working poor?” co-author Andrew Hanson said in the study. “The answer to both is an unambiguous ‘yes.’”
According to the study, a referendum taken last election showed Wisconsin voters would support increasing the minimum wage to the level Democrats are proposing.
But Hanson and Ike Brannon, co-author of the study, warned against it, suggesting Wisconsin legislators look for more fine-tuned policies to alleviate poverty, such as the earned income tax credit.
Brostoff criticized Republicans for improperly exercising their majority, especially in regard to more liberal policies that stimulate the economy. He said he has not seen a credible counter-argument yet.
No Republicans responded to a request for comment.
