There is a ray of light from the Sunshine State. Over 61% of Florida voters turned out for a $15 minimum wage. Mother Jones:
The approved increase will nearly double the state’s current minimum wage of $8.56. The increase will happen slowly, with employers being required to add one dollar a year to wages in order to work up to the $15 minimum. The first increase will bring the hourly minimum up to $10 by September 2021.
This vote makes Florida the first state in the South to approve a $15 minimum wage—a livable wage benchmark that progressive labor groups like Fight for 15 have sought for years, and which became part of the Democratic Party’s official platform in 2016. Florida is the eighth state to approve the $15 minimum, and the first state to do it by ballot measure. The ballot measure was spearheaded by Florida For A Fair Wage and local personal injury lawyer John Morgan, who poured millions of dollars into the effort behind Amendment 2.
Both the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association opposed the measure, warning that forcing employers to pay workers more would lead to fewer jobs in the state and stymie the state’s economic recovery from the pandemic. A number of economic studies have found that raising the minimum wage does not necessarily hurt employment. A 2019 study from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that raising the minimum wage to $15 could lead to a nationwide loss of 1.3 million jobs, but would increase wages for 17 million people, and lift 1.3 million out of poverty. Another study from the University of California Berkeley found that a $15 minimum wage would have no negative effects on employment.
As we pointed out last night, Fox News viewers hold remarkably liberal views on specific issues. Florida voters will pass multiple liberal ballot initiatives but never vote for "a liberal". #FoxNewsMustDie
