Wages

Should the minimum wage be a living wage?

The federal minimum wage was last raised on July 4th, 2009, when it rose from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour. Joe Biden wants to raise the federal minimum wage to $15.00 dollars an hour. The current minimum wage in Aurora, Colorado is $12.32 and it’s pegged to inflation.

The Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT) developed a living wage calculator for every county in Colorado. Click the link below to see the living wage in your locality.

M.I.T. Living Wage Calculator

Taken from Councilmember Crystal Murillo’s Facebook page

In 2019, the Colorado State Legislature passed Bill HB -19-1210. The Act allows municipalities to establish their own minimum wage. Some important amendments to the legislation include the following:

Prior to enacting a minimum wage law, the local government is required to consult with surrounding local governments and various stakeholders.
A local minimum wage increase must take effect on the same date as a scheduled increase to the statewide minimum wage.
If a local minimum wage exceeds the statewide minimum wage, the local government may only increase the local minimum wage each year by up to $1.75 or 15%, whichever is higher.

Alison Coombs Min. Wage Proposal

Under the original proposal laid out by Councilmember Alison Coombs, Aurora would raise the minimum wage in 2021 by 5% from $12.00 an hour to $12.60 an hour. It would gradually increase 5-10% a year from 2022 to 2026; eventually reaching $20.00 by 2027. The ordinance failed to pass in December, 2020.

Juan Marcano

Alison Coombs

Crystal Murillo

VOTE YES on:

Original version: $20.00 an hour by the year 2027.

Revised version: $18.04 an hour by 2027.

10-21-2020-Ordinance-Local-Minimum-Wage-2 Download

AuroraMinWage_Analysis_Final-1 Download