The new year means more money in many workers pockets. The minimum wage increases in 24 states Jan. 1. In Florida, the rate climbs from $8.46 to $8.56 an hour.
It will be $5.56 for servers and tipped-based professionals like Paul Santiago, a Duffy’s Sports Grill server. He says while it may not be much per hour, it could be worse.
”I say look at it in a different perspective - it’s an increase. An increase is better than no increase,” said Santiago.
WPTV looked into how Florida stacks up nationally. An interactive map from the Labor Department shows the states with minimum wages higher and lower than the federal rate at $7.25 per hour. The map can be seen here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/state
In California it’s $11. In New York it’s $11.10. And in Wyoming it’s $5.15. But there’s a national push from advocacy groups for a $15 minimum wage. The group, Fight for 15 Florida posted tweets Tuesday. The tweets can be seen here, https://twitter.com/FightFor15FL
“It’s kind of high,” said Burak Erkuloglu, Nico’s Pizza owner. “But workers do deserve better.” Erkuloglu said out of his ten employees only two dishwashers are paid minimum wage.
“It depends on the type of job you have,” added Santiago. “For [servers] I don’t think it would be necessary because of tipping and things of that nature. I think it would probably take away our tips.”
The Congressional Budget Office says a $15 minimum wage would force 1.3-million workers out of a job, according to a 2019 median estimate. To learn more about the government’s look at how increasing the minimum wage to $10, $12 and $15 would affect U.S. workers visit, https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2019-07/CBO-55410-MinimumWage2019.pdf
