Why Raising the Wage Matters
Unions, worker justice organizations, labor-friendly elected officials and even representatives of the Poor People's Economic Campaign rallied Thursday, September 30, in Miami to celebrate the voter-approved increase in the state's minimum wage. Janice Coakley, President of Local 3293 in North Miami Beach represented AFSCME Florida to recognize the importance of the measure, which will continue increases over the next several years:
- $11.00 on September 30, 2022
- $12.00 on September 30, 2023
- $13.00 on September 30, 2024
- $14.00 on September 30, 2025
- $15.00 on September 30, 2026
Beginning 2027, the minimum wage will be adjusted annually for inflation. Below, please see the Miami Herald editorial about the importance of the increase for working families and all Floridians.
‘Front-line workers’: Florida’s minimum wage increases to $10. Here’s why that matters
Florida’s minimum wage rises to $10 an hour Thursday, the first hike in a series of increases that will eventually push it to $15 an hour. The boost is a result of Amendment 2, passed by 61% of Florida voters in November 2020, making it the first state in the country to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour by a ballot measure.
The amendment says that the minimum wage will rise from $8.56 to $10 an hour starting on September 30, 2021, and then increase by $1 an hour every year until 2026. Minimum-wage workers and union organizers call it a major victory, since wages have not kept up with inflation and the increasing cost of living.
The amendment’s success was seen across the country as a potential catalyst for other states to follow suit or for a national minimum wage increase.
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