After authoring Wisconsin’s Fair Minimum Wage Act in January, state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, released a statement Monday citing a report suggesting an increase in the minimum wage would boost the state's economy.
The report, issued by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy, found raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would increase economic activity by $517 million and generate 3,800 new jobs in the state.
Mason said the report makes clear increasing the minimum wage will benefit the state economy, and the only question is whether other legislators will embrace this opportunity to help nearly half a million Wisconsin citizens.
“Americans of all political affiliations value the dignity of work and jobs that lift families out of poverty,” Mason said.
The report also found 57 percent of those benefitted by an increase in the minimum wage are women and 87 percent are over the age of 18.
Wisconsin’s Fair Minimum Wage Act proposes to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 in intervals over a two-year period.
