Letter: Support an increase to Iowa’s minimum wage

I hope that the federal minimum wage law will be increased for our lowest paid workers. Instead, our state of Iowa Legislature has introduced HF 295, which would make Iowa's minimum wage law its maximum wage law, for it would prevent any Iowa city or county from enacting a minimum wage above $7.25 per hour, and would override any such laws already in force.

In 12 states, 'the minimum wage rises automatically each year based on a cost-of-living formula,” but in Iowa, 'the current $7.25 per hour federal minimum has lost about 9.6 percent of its purchasing power to inflation ... 29 states have set their own higher minimums” (Pew Research, Jan. 4).

I don't understand why Iowa would consider keeping our lowest paid workers in poverty.

Doug Goodner

Kalona