Nebraskans can vote for $15 minimum wage on Nebraska ballot later this year

OMAHA, Nebraska — As a result of repeated failures in the Nebraska Unicameral to approve legislation to raise the minimum wage, the matter will be put to a vote before the general population of Nebraska in November.

If the proposal is successful, starting with the year after next the minimum wage will increase by $1.50 every year, all the way up to $15 per hour in 2026.

According to Dr. Ernie Goss, a professor of economics and finance at Creighton University, “for most jobs and most sectors, that’s not much of an influence.”

According to Goss, not much will change if there is a $15 increase in the minimum wage.

Although he sees some problems near the Iowa border, worries future damage to the hotel industry, and is concerned about the possibility of greater automation, he believes that businesses are already being compelled to raise compensation.

“The most significant contribution that firms can make is in the recruitment and employment of workers. According to Goss, “so they’re boosting rates as well as raising pay already.”

RAYGUN is a regional apparel business that is recognized for their witty t-shirt slogans. Beginning in the fall, they will begin paying their employees $15 an hour, and the owner, Mike Draper, says that this increase is necessary since the market demands it.

According to Draper, “So,” it is not so much about introducing some unneeded new restrictions as it is about raising the minimum wage closer to what it truly is in real life.

It would appear that you are correct. There are a few positions, such as working part-time for the government or as a grocery store clerk, that pay less than $15 an hour, but the majority of jobs in the Omaha metropolitan area pay much above that amount.

There is not a single organization that has taken a public stance against the pay increase. Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, was quoted as saying in a statement that the minimum wage ought to be the same everywhere across the country, which is not the case at the present time.

And everyone agreed that there is already a correlation between a lack of workers and increased wages.

“Wages have already been driven in most cases to the level of $15 an hour, and in many cases even much over that level, due to a labour scarcity as well as market pressures. According to Slone, it is therefore unlikely that the passage of the Act will have much of an effect.

Goss stated that even if it were to pass, it might still compel business owners to make difficult decisions.

Goss stated, “Well, it’s obvious that if you don’t provide $15 worth of value, then you won’t get employed.”

In addition to this, he stated that the increase in the minimum wage would be more successful if it did not immediately jump to $15 per hour for young people. He wishes there was an exception that would guarantee they would continue to find work notwithstanding their age.

“That will be helpful to those employees in acquiring that first job and getting started in their career.”

The last time the minimum wage in Nebraska was increased was in 2014, when it went from the federal wage of $7.25 to the state wage of $9 per hour.