— A UW-Madison think tank is urging policymakers to raise the state’s minimum hourly wage, arguing low-income workers in Wisconsin are “falling behind.”
The progressive COWS High Road Strategy Center yesterday released a new report on how the state would be impacted by upping the minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 — equal to the federal minimum — to $15 or $20 per hour over the next five years.
“With a minimum wage of just $7.25, Wisconsin is part of a shrinking number of states using the federal standard to establish the wage floor,” COWS Associate Director and report author Laura Dresser said. “And while many workers have seen raises in recent years, we show that a stronger wage floor would reach hundreds of thousands of workers in the state.”
Wisconsin’s minimum wage is also below those of all but one neighboring state, Iowa, which has the same minimum hourly rate. By comparison, the minimum wage is $10.59 in Minnesota, $10.10 in Michigan and $13 in Illinois.
The report notes some may find the idea of a $20 minimum wage “absurd or even offensive.” But the “Fight for $15” movement among low-wage workers began even before the COVID-19 pandemic led to more awareness of the “essential” jobs classification, COWS notes.
“All of this means we should continue to challenge the notion of what the minimum can and should be,” report authors wrote. “To move our floor to a standard that workers can actually afford a decent life requires consideration of $20 per hour.”
While raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 would affect more than 375,000 workers, or nearly 15% of the labor force in Wisconsin, raising it to $20 would benefit nearly 900,000 workers, representing about a third of the state workforce.
Both of those totals include both the number of people who would be directly affected, as well as others who would see their pay rise as wage scales shift.
COWS says raising the wage floor would also help reduce economic disparities, particularly for women and Black and Hispanic workers. Under the $15 per hour scenario, 18% of female workers would get a raise compared to 11% of men.
Meanwhile, about one-fourth of Black and Hispanic workers would see wages rise, which is twice the share of white workers.
And most teenagers in the labor market would also benefit, with four out of every five of these workers getting a wage bump if the minimum were set to $15, the report shows.
Industries that would see major change include restaurants and retail, report authors found, noting two-thirds of all restaurant workers in the state would get a raise under a $15-an-hour minimum wage. That’s more than 100,000 workers.
Even industries with relatively high pay — health care and manufacturing — would also see an impact due to how many workers are employed in these broad sectors. While just 12% of health care workers would see wages increase under a $15 minimum, that equals 48,500 people. And for manufacturing, with 4.8% of workers seeing higher wages, that number would be 24,500.
See the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/cows-releases-cant-survive-on-7-25-higher-minimum-wages-for-working-wisconsin/
See the full report: https://cows.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/1368/2023/10/Cant-Survive-on-725.pdf
Listen to an earlier podcast with Dresser: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2022/wisbusiness-the-podcast-with-laura-dresser-of-cows/
— Dem lawmakers have introduced a 23-bill package aiming to help tenants maintain housing and support those facing eviction.
Rep. Ryan Clancy, D-Milwaukee, who is lead author on nine of the bills, said Republicans acknowledge housing and eviction are not partisan issues. He said he had spoken to Assembly Housing and Real Estate Committee Chair Rob Brooks about holding a hearing on a bill to establish a right to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction.
Brooks, R-Saukville, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I acknowledge that there are many more landlords on the other side of the aisle, and many more renters on the Democratic side,” Clancy said. “That doesn’t mean that we can’t work together to solve these problems.”
Rep. Darrin Madison, who authored a bill to repeal limits on local governments’ ability to require rental property inspections, noted two Milwaukee apartment developments had to be evacuated this year due to high levels of the carcinogen trichloroethylene, or TCE.
“In talking to my constituents and local elected officials, the answer to this growing challenge has become more clear: these communities need the ability to create their own rental inspection programs for areas with higher potential contaminants,” the Milwaukee Dem said.
The package also includes measures to:
*Establish a right for tenants to organize and penalties for those who violate it;
*Consider it discrimination to ask potential tenants about or refuse tents due to evictions that occurred more than five years prior;
*Repeal a ban on local eviction moratoriums, which could be used in unexpected circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic;
*Make it illegal to discriminate in housing based on citizenship or immigration status; and
*Require DATCP to promulgate rules specifying how much money a tenant is owed for different types of damage or dangerous items on a property.
— UW-Stout is getting $2.5 million in federal money to expand academic advising, support an existing financial wellness center, develop new mental health strategies and more.
The university recently announced the five-year award from the U.S. Department of Education.
Kelly Wenig, Advisement Center director and interim project manager, says Title III grants like this “are a big deal.”
“They provide funds to fundamentally transform universities so they can better educate students,” she said in a statement. “Stout is heavily investing our Title III funds to make sure students have a great experience, know what they need to do to graduate and save as much money as possible.”
Some of the funding will go toward a new degree audit system called Stellic, supporting advisors’ efforts to help UW-Stout students plan their degree path. The university is also creating a new program to help incoming students transition to higher education, as well as a new professional learning community.
UW-Stout says these and other funded initiatives will help raise retention and graduation rates, boost student satisfaction and performance and drive enrollment growth.
See more in the release: https://www.uwstout.edu/about-us/news-center/strong-support-student-success-heart-25m-federal-grant
— Entrepreneurs Susie and Matt Younkle are the winners of this year’s Excellence in Entrepreneurial Education award, the Wisconsin Technology Council announced.
The Tech Council’s “Triple E” award recognizes members of the state’s startup ecosystem who play a role in mentoring and teaching Wisconsin entrepreneurs.
“Matt and Susie Younkle have touched scores of young companies over time, providing mentorship while drawing on their own diverse experience in starting and running companies,” Tech Council President Tom Still said yesterday in a statement.
Matt’s accolades include working with tech companies including Pythonic Corp., murfie.com and TurboTap, as well as co-founding the Forward Festival in Madison and the Wisconsin Innovation Awards.
Meanwhile, Susie is the program director for MERLIN Mentors and runs Madworks Accelerator by StartingBlock, drawing on her experiences with finance startups.
The award will be presented Nov. 8 at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, an annual event hosted by the Tech Council.
See the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/wisconsin-technology-council-team-younkle-to-receive-triple-e-award-nov-8-at-early-stage-symposium/
See more event details: https://wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/early-stage-symposium/
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— Health care providers in Wisconsin would be prohibited from providing any services that assist a minor in transitioning genders, under legislation the Senate approved along party lines.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
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#TOP STORIES#
# Former GOP legislator Dale Kooyenga promises bipartisan approach as next MMAC chief
# Didion Milling officials found guilty of federal charges after 2017 corn mill explosion
# I’m Board’s new Monroe Street spot is all fun and games
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Wisconsin Cranberry research station a hub for innovation
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=932&yr=2023
– Wisconsin farmers seek answers to waterhemp resistance
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=933&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– Hoffman breaks ground for Appleton area elementary school
# ECONOMY
– Child care providers praise extension of Child Care Counts funding
# EDUCATION
– Madison school absenteeism soared with COVID-19, little change since
– UWGB chancellor seeks to alleviate concerns over no raises, recent closures, layoffs
# FOOD AND BEVERAGE
– Life gave Madison chef Giovanni Novella lemons, so he made limoncello
# HEALTH CARE
– Marquette University doubles size of Pleasant Prairie nursing program site
# LEGAL
– Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sues luxury bed and mattress company
– Giannis Antetokounmpo sues luxury bed maker for trademark infringement
# MANUFACTURING
– Wisconsin packaging company to outsource jobs, close a plant and lay off hundreds in Illinois
# MEDIA
– Comic superhero returns home to small Wisconsin town, confronting author’s real ‘nightmare’
– How ‘Top Chef’ came to make its Milwaukee home in an unassuming Oak Creek building
# POLITICS
– From abortion to tax cuts. What to know about the Senate’s whirlwind session
# REAL ESTATE
– Metro Milwaukee office real estate market weakens in Q3
– F Street plans to replace two Brown Deer office buildings with apartments
# RETAIL
– Madison Public Market gets another life preserver from city
# SPORTS
– Packers, Fleet Farm program raises money to improve veterans’ health, reduce suicides
# TECHNOLOGY
– Microsoft VP: Mount Pleasant data center is springboard for future partnerships
# TOURISM
– (Nearly) every classical performance in Wisconsin between now and Thanksgiving
# TRANSPORTATION
– Dane County airport fare hikes among highest in the nation
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
ThedaCare: Announces naming of family birth center, Celebrates 114th anniversary of care
