A Flagstaff ballot initiative that would raise the city’s minimum wage will now officially be on the November ballot. As Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius reports, Proposition 414 would eventually boost the Flagstaff wage to $15 an hour.
City officials validated more than 3,300 signatures for the measure. The group behind the proposal, Flagstaff Needs a Raise, says a minimum wage hike is necessary to lift many workers out of poverty and boost the local economy. Prop 414 would raise the wage to $10 an hour in 2017, and then each year until 2021 when it would reach $15.
Some opponents of the initiative say it would hurt local business, kill jobs, and persuade employers not to set up shop in the area.
Meanwhile, statewide voters may be asked to decide on a separate proposition that would raise Arizona’s minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020. It would also provide earned sick days to workers. Signatures for that proposal are still being counted.
Arizona’s minimum wage is currently $8.05 per hour.
