On Wednesday, February 18, the Portland City Council voted unanimously (5-0) to raise the minimum hourly wage to $15 for 173 contractors and full-time workers of the City of Portland.
The current state minimum wage is $9.25 an hour, and the federal minimum wage is $7.25.
This recent Portland City Council vote amended Portland’s Fair Wage Policy and will impact 173 workers who currently receive less than $15 hourly wages. Only 16 are full-time city employees, while the remaining 157 are contractors.
This unanimous approval is a huge win for $15 minimum wage advocates, and an indicator of the prioritization and growing acceptance toward increasing the minimum wage elsewhere in Oregon.
Previously, in early December 2014, Multnomah County approved a plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 for all county employees within the next three years. Home Forward, Portland’s housing agency, announced on October 31, 2014 that it would enforce a $15 minimum wage for its employees. Home Forward’s agreement became effective December 1 and impacted 33 workers.
In May of 2014, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced a plan to increase the minimum wage citywide to $15. Wage increases will be phased in over time, beginning April 1, 2015.
Only 173 people are impacted by what seems like only a small change. However, this may be a sign of things to come as a new bill was introduced in the Legislature could raise the minimum wage statewide to $15 in a few years. Stay tuned for future news and updates.
Image credit // Brian PDX
Minimum Wage Increases for City of Portland Employees and Contractors
