MADISON, Wis. (WISC) — Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation that would raise Wisconsin’s minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Rep. Melissa Sargent, (D-Madison) was joined by other Democratic legislators, community advocates and Wisconsin workers at a press conference Tuesday morning.
“Here in Wisconsin, we believe in taking care of each other. We believe that putting in an honest day’s work means you earn an honest day’s pay,” Sargent said. “We believe that when we work hard and play by the rules, we should all have a fighting chance, and that we each do better when we all do better. We believe our economy should work for all of us, not just the top 1 percent, and that our communities are stronger when we’re independent of the government, not dependent upon it.”
The minimum wage is expected to go up in 72 jurisdictions in 2020. The increases will be in 24 states and 48 cities and counties, according to the National Employment Law Project.
Madison area businesses also recently announced a minimum wage increase for employees. The University of Wisconsin Madison will pay hourly employees $15 per hour.
American Family Insurance also raised its minimum wage to $20 per hour.
