With a possible state ban looming, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay is calling for the city to phase in a minimum wage mandate of $15 an hour over the next four years.
A bill is expected to be formally introduced Friday to the Board of Aldermen.
Slay has signaled for some time that he supported such an increase, especially after his administration increased the minimum wage several years ago for all full-time city workers to $12.21 an hour.
The mayor's current pitch is somewhat in line with the push by labor groups and others for a national minimum wage of $15 an hour. The federal minimum wage is now $7.25 an hour.
Slay plans to hold a news conference Thursday to lay out the specifics of his proposal. But those close to him say that the proposed St. Louis mandate would apply only to businesses with more than 15 employees, and with annual gross income of more than $500,000.
The bill's sponsor is Alderman Shane Cohn, D-25th Ward.
Time also may be of the essence. The Missouri General Assembly has passed a bill, HB722, that would bar cities and municipalities from requiring a minimum wage that differs from the state's minimum wage of $7.65 an hour, or the federal minimum wage.
Gov. Jay Nixon has yet to take action on the bill. But if he signs it into law, the bill's ban would take effect Aug. 28.
However, the bill has a clause "grandfathering" in all local minimum wage hikes approved before Aug. 28.
Part of national effort
A number of major cities around the country, including New York, Chicago and Washington D.C., have passed or are considering similar minimum-wage hikes.
The city of Kansas City also has been considering a similar proposal, but officials have stepped back in the wake of business opposition.
Cohn's bill would immediately increase the minimum wage for workers in the city of St. Louis to $10. On January 1, 2017, the minimum wage would increase to $11.25 an hour. On Jan. 1, 2018, the minimum wage would go up to $12.50. On Jan. 1, 2019, it would increase to $13.75 an hour, with the final hike to $15 an hour set for Jan. 1, 2020.
Business leaders in St. Louis have yet to comment. But activist groups such as Jobs With Justice are already hailing Slay's plan.
The city's "Fight for $15'' chapter issued a statement with comments from local McDonald's worker Bettie Douglas.
"The Show-Me state just showed that real, life-changing victories are possible when we stick together," Douglas said. "By standing up and speaking out, we are on the verge of making St. Louis the first city in America's heartland to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
She added, "We've gone from the days of being told we had no shot to $15 an hour becoming a reality all over the country…"
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