Pushing the minimum wage debate

The debate over Iowa's minimum wage has reached a new pitch in Johnson County, where some members of the Board of Supervisors are pushing to raise the wage within the county's borders.

The idea, put forth by supervisors Mike Carberry, Janelle Rettig and Rod Sullivan, is to craft an ordinance that would gradually increase the minimum wage, currently set at $7.25, over the next three years in order to reach $10.10 per hour by 2017.

It remains to be seen whether supervisors have the votes - or the legal authority - to enact such an ordinance. Even if they do, we're not convinced it's such a great idea. But what the proposal does show is that there is a growing frustration with state lawmakers' failure to take up the issue.

Supervisors have said it's their intention that the increased minimum wage would apply in all the county's municipalities unless those city councils passed ordinances to the contrary. Iowa Labor Commissioner Michael Mauro has said that passing local minimum wage higher than the state's standard would be unconstitutional.

There has been much discussion in labor and business circles about whether Iowa's current minimum, which was raised in 2007 from the previous minimum of $5.15, is adequate. But you wouldn't know that by watching the legislature, where robust, bipartisan wage discussions appear to be taboo.

During the most recent legislative session, on a near-absolute party-line vote and with no public debate, state Senate Democrats passed a bill that would have raised Iowa's minimum wage to $8.75 per hour over two years. The proposal died in the Republican-controlled House, again, with little public comment.

Two things seem clear to us: First, if the state is going to have a minimum wage, that wage is going to have to be periodically raised as expenses increase. Second, raising that wage by smaller, more frequent increments, makes more sense than struggling to approve occasional, dramatic increases. For one thing, it would make it easier for Iowa businesses to adjust. Neither of these points seems especially controversial.

Is this the right time to raise the wage in Iowa? That's a matter that deserves serious discussion. And while we're at it, let's figure out how to make future increases a regular part of doing the state's business.

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