Flagstaff’s minimum wage will be more than $3 higher than the state’s at the beginning of next year.
A current Arizona ballot initiative would cut the pay of tipped workers and that has some local wage advocates worried.
Former Flagstaff city councilmember Eva Putzova was central to increasing Flagstaff’s minimum wage eight years ago.
Now she believes if voters pass Proposition 138, which would amend the state constitution, the local law will be challenged in court.
“I'm sure that they will try to make the case that Prop 138 trumps the local minimum wage law, which, of course, we reject," Putzova says.
The initiative was referred to the ballot by Republican state lawmakers this year and is backed by the Arizona Restaurant Association.
But Putzova says the change would lead tipped workers to lose out on thousands of dollars annually.
At the beginning of next year, Flagstaff’s minimum wage will be $17.85 an hour and $14.70 statewide.
In 2016, Flagstaff voters approved a $15 minimum wage, which increases each year based on the cost of living.
It also mandates eliminating the tipped wage within the city by 2026.
