Workers Rally In Tallahassee For Higher Minimum Wage
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Amid a ballot drive to raise Florida's minimum wage, dozens of fast-food workers, airport employees and other people in low-wage jobs gathered Monday at the Capitol to call for an increase.
Currently, the minimum wage in Florida is $8.46 an hour. But Orlando attorney John Morgan is leading a petition drive to get a measure on the November 2020 ballot that would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Sen. Victor Torres, an Orlando Democrat who took part in Monday's rally, said workers want to be able to make ends meet.
"We must stand and support every effort to raise the minimum wage, so Floridians can afford to pay their bills, raise their families and fulfill the dream of buying their own home," Torres said.
Opponents of raising the minimum wage say an increase will cause businesses to cut jobs and will make goods and services more expensive.
Under Morgan's proposal, the minimum wage would increase to $10 an hour on Sept. 30, 2021, and increase by $1 each year until it hits $15 an hour in 2026.
A Morgan-led political committee, known as Florida For A Fair Wage, has submitted 92,225 valid petition signatures to the state.
That is enough to trigger a review by the Florida Supreme Court of the proposed ballot wording. If the Supreme Court signs off, the committee ultimately would have to submit 766,200 signatures to get on the ballot.
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