Today: Tucson Voters Will Be Mailed Ballots, Begin Voting On $15 Minimum Wage
Tucson, AZ–Last spring, grassroots organizers in Tucson, Arizona collected nearly twice the signatures needed to get a $15 minimum wage on the ballot this November. Today, the first ballots will be mailed and voters can begin voting on Proposition 206.
The Fairness Project, an organization focused on promoting a voter-powered change through ballot measures, has supported proponents of Proposition 206 and their effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
“This week, while gridlock in Washington ensues, voters in Tucson are taking matters into their own hands and voting on a community-led minimum wage increase. Proposition 206, which would raise the city-wide minimum wage to $15, was placed on the ballot by residents who successfully petitioned that every member of their community deserves a living wage,” said Kelly Hall, Executive Director of the Fairness Project. “Roughly 85,000 Tucsonans stand to get a raise. That’s the beauty of the ballot measure process.”
A Tucson worker earning the current minimum wage needs to work 61 hours a week to afford a 2-bedroom home. A win for Proposition 206 would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2025, with the first increase starting April of next year. The bill also includes protections for workers, preventing employers from misclassifying workers as independent contractors or shaving off time from a shift.
More than 100 small local businesses have backed the Tucson Fight for 15 campaign. For more information, visit tucsonfightfor15.com.
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