GREEN BAY (NBC26) — Wisconsin's minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2009, but a Green Bay representative hopes to more than double it with new legislature.
Green Bay Representative Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D) has introduced a bill that would raise Wisconsin's minimum wage immediately to $15 an hour, then gradually to $20 an hour over the next four years.
"There is no county, including Brown County, where $7.25 can pay your bills for rent, food and utilities," Rep. Rivera Wagner says.
Wisconsin's minimum wage has remained $7.25 an hour since 2009.
"I think the government has to step up and ensure that we keep up with the cost of living," Rep. Rivera Wagner says.
Rep. Rivera Wagner's bill would also increase the tipped minimum wage to $7.50 an hour, include annual increases based on inflation and give local governments the ability to enact their own minimum wage ordinances.
For a business with less than 50 employees, Rep. Rivera Wagner would allow a longer ramp up time to reach $15 an hour wages.
Rep. Rivera Wagner will need to convince the Republican-led legislature to host a hearing on the bill before a vote can take place.
He plans to campaign across the state to gain support for the bill.
"I know some folks feel like it's an uphill battle, but I think that's what we do here in Green Bay," Rep. Rivera Wagner says.
Syam Soeng makes $14 an hour at a sandwhich shop in Green Bay.
She's from California, where the minimum wage is $16.90 an hour, and says it was a shock to move to Wisconsin.
“You'd think they would take care of us better knowing the economic state that we’re in, groceries going up, everything," she says.
She says without her husband’s income, she wouldn’t be able to afford to live with her two kids in Green Bay.
“Just all those extra side bills, they really add up, and so nowadays it’s just not enough," she says.
A living wage calculator from MIT shows the livable wage for a single adult living in Brown County is $21.28 and hour.
“33% of Wisconsinites can not meet the cost of month to month expenses," Rep. Rivera Wagner says.
