State legislators should take up minimum wage

Only a few months after a 95-cent bump in the minimum wage took effect in much of Johnson County, Linn County supervisors have asked staff to begin studying the impact increasing the minimum wage would have in their jurisdiction.

Supervisors have taken a reasonable, measured step by asking for more information about the possible effects of a countywide minimum wage before bringing it to a vote. We will be interested to learn what the working group discovers in its review.

That said, we still are not convinced that a county-by-county wage increase is the most practical, or desirable, way to raise the minimum wage. It is our hope that the Linn County wage study and discussion serves as another prod to encourage legislators to take up the issue at the Statehouse.

As we wrote last summer, when Johnson County supervisors announced they would gradually raise the minimum wage in their jurisdiction to $10.10 per hour by 2017, if the state is to have a minimum wage, it only follows that minimum will have to be periodically raised as expenses increase.

Iowa's current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour was set in 2007, when legislators raised it from the previous minimum of $5.15.

It is better for workers and employers if minimum wage increases are smaller and occur more frequently. Rare and dramatic increases in the wage are disruptive to businesses and make it more difficult for low-wage workers to keep up with expenses.

Fourteen states have recently raised minimum wages, with many of those increases taking effect at the start of this new year. There has been much discussion about whether Iowa's minimum wage is adequate.

We remain unconvinced, as we were last summer, that county-by-county minimum wage decisions are the solution. Elected bodies in many of Johnson County's smaller cities have opted not to accept the county's increase but to stay with the state minimum. Any Linn County ordinance would allow cities in their jurisdiction the same discretion.

We strongly encourage legislators to carve out time this session for a robust, bipartisan discussion about raising Iowa's minimum wage.

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