The Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Thursday unanimously approved the first consideration of an ordinance that would increase the minimum wage in Johnson County.
If approved, the ordinance would increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.25 on Nov. 1. The minimum wage would then be increased to $9.15 in May 2016 and then increased again to $10.10 on Jan. 1, 2017.
The Iowa Labor Commission said in a statement that a local minimum wage above $7.25 would be unconstitutional. Under the Iowa Constitution’s Counties Home Rule provision, a county is granted home-rule power and authority not inconsistent with the laws of the Legislature, the statement said.
Supervisor Janelle Rettig said around 25,000 people in Johnson County live in poverty, and 19,000 people in Johnson County are food insecure.
With the Johnson County poverty level a little more than 5 percent higher than the statewide poverty level, Rettig said she is tired of other politicians refusing to take the lead on the issue.
“If we can’t do that, we don’t deserve to be elected officials,” she said.
Supervisor Terrence Neuzil expressed some concerns with the fast pace of the ordinance and said small businesses may have to reorganize their business models to fit the demands of the ordinance.
Despite his concerns, Neuzil said he voted yes to the first consideration to help those in need.
“We have the opportunity to do something right for this community,” he said.
Before the first consideration was put to a vote, several community members came to the podium to discuss their thoughts on the ordinance, many sporting stickers with the slogan “Rise together, raise the wage, I support raising our minimum wage.”
One speaker, whose son was born with a mental disability, said she understands budget constraints but noted that the services she uss would be more effective if the employees were paid a living wage.
“It’s almost impossible to get consistent care,” she said.
Another speaker, a landlord who has worked with tenants struggling to make their rent, said she hopes the supervisors eventually look toward making the minimum wage $15 in the future, which would allow $750 a month to be used for housing and utilities, compared with the current $362 a month.
“This is not asking for a luxury,” she said. “This is asking for enough.”
Three women, with the help of a translator, expressed their concerns at the podium in Spanish.
One of the women discussed how difficult it was for her to act as mother, nurse, therapist, and teacher when she found out one of her children was born with a heart problem, while being paid minimum wage.
“With your vote, you can change the lives of hundreds and hundreds of workers,” another one of the women said.
The translator, Misty Rebik, said each of the supervisors took the time to listen to their concerns and that the move to approve the consideration is common sense in action.
Rebik is the director for the Center for Worker Justice in Iowa City. The center helps organize workers to take a stand against low wages, she said.