º£½ÇÉçÇø

º£½ÇÉçÇø’s minimum wage increased to s and $5.35 per hour for tipped employees on Jan. 1, according to the º£½ÇÉçÇø Department of Commerce. This was an automatic adjustment due to a constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2006.

This is a slight bump compared to 2024 when minimum wage for non-tipped employees was $10.45 per hour and $5.25 per hour for tipped employees. 

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. including Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, among others, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

º£½ÇÉçÇøans passed a citizen initiated constitutional amendment in 2006 that at the time raised the state minimum wage to $6.85, and it has upped the minimum wage every year since based on the consumer price index. 

Despite the increase in minimum wage, it may not be enough for folks across the state. When it comes to housing, º£½ÇÉçÇøans need to be making at least $20.81 an hour working a full-time job to afford a two-bedroom apartment, according to a joint report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in º£½ÇÉçÇø.

One Fair Wage 

One Fair Wage, a national organization, tried to get minimum wage on the ballot in º£½ÇÉçÇø this past election, but they failed to submit the necessary signatures to the º£½ÇÉçÇø Secretary of State to get their initiative on the ballot. 

The initiative would have increased minimum wage up to $15 per hour in 2026 and nixed º£½ÇÉçÇø’s tipped wage. 

Upping º£½ÇÉçÇø’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026 would have helped nearly 1 million º£½ÇÉçÇøans — about a fifth of º£½ÇÉçÇø’s workforce, according to Policy Matters º£½ÇÉçÇø. 

A study from the Scioto Analysis showed increasing º£½ÇÉçÇø’s minimum wage to $15 an hour would and create a $25 billion benefit to the state economy by 2036. 

One Fair Wage said they are still working on trying to get an initiative on º£½ÇÉçÇø’s ballot, but has yet to reveal specifics plans. 

California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington all have minimum wages of at least $15 an hour, according to NCSL. 

One Fair Wage faced heavy opposition from the º£½ÇÉçÇø Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance, who predicted restaurant operators would be forced to raise their menu prices by about 20-30% if the initiative had passed. 

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