NEW YORK (AP) – California and New York -where almost 1 in 5 Americans live – are on their way to raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour, and the activists who spearheaded those efforts are now setting their sights on other similarly liberal, Democratic-led states.
Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington are among the states with active “Fight for $15” efforts, and even economic experts who oppose the increased rate see it gaining momentum.
“There is lots of pressure to do this,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Congressional Budget Office director who is now president of the conservative American Action Forum, which says big minimum-wage increases cost jobs.
The idea faces headwinds in more conservative and rural states in the South and the Midwest. But activists believe it is picking up steam, even if their two big victories so far were achieved in two very receptive places: trend-setting, liberal, labor-friendly states with a high cost of living and a yawning gap between rich and poor.
“In the beginning, it looked impossible,” said Alvin Major, a former fast food worker who is now a leader of the Fight for $15 campaign. But now, “what happened in New York, in California, it’s going to spread around the country.”