Unions profess to take great pride in pushing legislation and ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage, yet it remains clear that they’re looking out for Number One. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that higher worker wages add up to greater union dues.
Yet some workers see the negatives with this strategy, and we recently told you how tipped workers in Michigan know that they would earn less money if their wages rise by law, given that tipping would essentially disappear. Those tipped workers, at least, might be able to breathe a sigh of relief. A Michigan appeals court halted a planned minimum wage increase, which would have boosted starting wages from $10.10 to $13.03 as of February 2. Democrats will push the case to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Not to be deterred as well, the union-staffed Raise Up Coalition is looking for a huge wage boost in Massachusetts. Their goal? A $20 minimum wage, along with a raise for tipped workers, with 2027 as the target year.
Elsewhere, the private sector is taking matters into its own hands in order to attract better candidates. Walmart announced that their retail workers will see their minimum wage rise to $14 with increased perks, including greater college tuition benefits. Some of Walmart’s more seasoned workers will see their pay move to $19 per hour, which is a bold move considering the state of retail in this economy. At the same time, Home Depot says it will spend $1 billion to give their hourly workers a raise during the relentlessly tight retail labor market.
