Governor, legislature must act on minimum wage policy, Corbett says

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, a member of a Linn County minimum wage study group, called Wednesday on Gov. Terry Branstad and the Legislature to develop statewide standards for a minimum wage before a 'hodgepodge” of policies multiply across Iowa, potentially complicating life for employers.

Corbett, in an interview with The Gazette, said the state also should consider adopting a 75-cents-an hour increase, to an $8 per hour minimum, which would elevate Iowa from the bottom to the middle among its Midwestern neighbors,

The former Republican Speaker of the Iowa House called the amount 'fair” and noted it could be reviewed over time.

'I don't think people had in mind 99 counties, and 900 cities, and all sorts of minimum wages across Iowa,” Corbett said. 'We will have a hodgepodge of rules and it will get worse. In four or five years from now, if the Legislature and governor don't do anything, it will be much harder to take action at the state level.”

Corbett's comments come as members of the county study group consider raising the minimum wage locally. The group meets Monday.

In addition to Linn County, officials in Polk County are examining the minimum wage there, which some have suggested raising as high as $15 an hour. Officials in Woodbury County considered but ultimately nixed plans this week to study minimum wage there.

Johnson County was the first in Iowa to adopt a local ordinance. Its supervisors approved phasing in increases of 95 cents an hour until a threshold of $10.10 is reached Jan. 1. After that, annual adjustments are tied to the consumer price index.

That plan allowed communities in the county the option of participating, which some did and others did not.

Some had expected legal challenges, but they have yet to come, opening the door for more counties to explore the issue.

Corbett said he does not want to replicate the Johnson County approach. He has concerns about indexing, built-in increases and the lack of uniformity in the county. He said if the state and Branstad fail to signal a 'clear message” to address wages, it will leave local officials little choice but to act.

Ben Hammes, a spokesman for Branstad, who was not available for an interview, said the Republican governor has signed minimum wage increases in the past and is willing to work with the Legislature on the state's minimum, but is focused on other matters.

'Gov. Branstad remains cautious about any increase in how it would affect job creation,” Hammes said. 'His focus has and will remain on bringing more high-paying jobs to the state and focus on attracting business and industry that will pay higher wages.”

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, R-Clear Lake, did not return a message seeking comment, but in the past said there is concern about a 'big patchwork” of minimum wage standards - but that worker training and jobs were more pressing issues.

State Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, also cast a tempered outlook for addressing minimum wage at a state level.

'I don't think it is a hot topic,” Feenstra said. 'It's a paper tiger. It's a great political talking point. ... I don't think it is that major of a deal. Yeah, we could address it, if you want to, but $8 is a pretty minor increase.”

Feenstra said the private sector can better regulate minimum wage, noting $8 an hour is less than minimums paid at some major retailers.

Others, such as state Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, said he agreed the Legislature and governor should lead on the matter. But he was skeptical it would happen, and said $8 is not enough. He said inconsistent policies can create unneeded competition in border communities and create complexities for employers.

'Mayor Corbett is one of the very few Republicans I know who are willing to say we need to increase the minimum wage, but his proposal is a little paltry,” Bolkcom said. 'It's 75 cents more, but still way under what someone working full time needs.”

In 2015, the Democrat-led Iowa Senate voted to boost the state's minimum to $8.75 by July 1, 2017, but the Republican-led Iowa House did not take up the matter and it did not come up again in the 2016 legislative session.

Tim Hagle, a University of Iowa associate professor of political science, said Corbett's support of increasing the minimum wage 'runs counter to the feelings of many Republicans” although some Republicans have been willing to consider the issue.

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