Raising the Minimum Wage

Background

In 2005, IWF started its work to raise the minimum wage in Wisconsin. Working families were suffering because the minimum wage was only $5.15 per hour, unchanged since 1997. While Governor Jim Doyle advocated raising the minimum wage to $6.50 per hour, he was stalemated repeatedly by the State Legislature.

Cities like Madison and Milwaukee began efforts to increase the minimum wage locally, thus bypassing the state legislature. Madison formed the Healthy Families Healthy City coalition and fought aggressively to pass the minimum wage ordinance, which would have not only raised the minimum wage in Madison immediately, but also indexed it for inflation. The proposal lost by one vote in the Madison Common Council. Other cities, like Milwaukee, La Crosse, and Eau Claire began their own efforts to increase the minimum wage locally.

IWF fights pre-emption

In response, the Legislature proposed a bill which would pre-empt, or prevent, any local ordinance from increasing the minimum wage. IWF partnered with several other community groups to initiate work against the pre-emption legislation and was successful in ending one pre-emption bill. Through coalition work, testimony at legislative hearings, and lobbying, the issue remained alive until a second pre-emption bill was passed and signed by the Governor, ending local efforts to improve economic conditions in their community. And, in response, the Legislature passed a minimum wage hike to $6.50 an hour.

IWF developed a Minimum Wage Tool Kit as part of its research efforts. The Tool Kit was designed to help cities and villages increase their minimum wages without state intervention. The Tool Kit was a valuable resource for local communities and remains relevant for other localities nationwide.