It’s time to give Iowans a raise

Every single morning, Iowans wake up and work hard, taking pride in a job well done. Our paychecks should support us with the ability to live our lives with dignity and respect. But in my district and across the state I see Iowans working hard, serving their communities and customers with grit and determination, without reaping the rewards. That’s why I introduced SF 235, legislation that would raise Iowa’s minimum wage to $15 an hour beginning July 1 and pay Iowa workers what they’re owed.

This struggle isn’t new. The wage gap in America has been growing for years, predating recent inflation and soaring corporate greed. No matter how hard Iowans work, if they get a second job or pick up extra shifts, they’re still struggling to keep up. According to Common Good Iowa, a couple working full-time with two children would have to earn $15.53 an hour in order to meet just their basic needs.

By increasing the minimum wage, we have an opportunity to tell Iowa workers we value and prioritize them. We would also address critical concerns, such as helping families afford basic needs and more while taking a step toward fixing Gov. Kim Reynolds’ workforce crisis. The ideas coming from Iowa Republicans aren’t going to work. We can’t, and shouldn't, try to fix worker shortages by shoving kids into dangerous and critical jobs because employers can’t find enough adults. We need to attract more people to Iowa. Increasing wages is a win-win that will attract workers to our state and empower the workers already here. Increasing the wage to $15 would boost earnings for more than 400,000 workers in Iowa and increase spending by $1.6 billion, helping to fuel Iowa’s economy.

Our kids should be in school, not working in factories, and parents who work all day should be able to eat dinner with their kids when they come home. They should be able to read with their children at night and enjoy all Iowa has to offer on the weekend — to take a vacation, visit Iowa sites, and catch up with friends and family. But today, Republicans and Gov. Reynolds are putting the richest Iowans and wealthy corporations ahead of middle-class families.

For years, corporations have been increasing prices to pad their profits, hurting Iowa families. Corporate profit margins are the highest they’ve been since the 1950s. Meanwhile, some Iowa families have to skip groceries or accumulate credit card debt because their dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. At the same time, Gov. Reynolds and Republicans chose to give wealthy corporations and the richest Iowans a tax cut — taking more than $100 million a year from our general fund.

The vast majority of Iowans want the freedom to earn a fair wage from their employers and know the 2009 rate of $7.25 isn’t enough. A 2022 exit poll conducted for Progress Iowa shows that 81 percent of Iowans believe Iowa’s minimum wage should be raised. Until we increase the minimum wage, we will lose workers to neighboring states Minnesota, Illinois, South Dakota, and Missouri, who increased minimum wage in 2020. It’s time to put working families first and give every Iowan the freedom to get ahead.

Democratic state Sen. Molly Donahue represents District 37.