Albuquerque residents to vote on minimum wage increase in November

The question for Albuquerque voters

From KOB-TV.com - By: Danielle Todesco, KOB Eyewitness News 4 - Voters will decide whether or not to raise Albuquerque's minimum wage this November. The State Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that despite a typo in the wage petition, the issue can go on the November ballot. The issue finally landed in the Supreme Court after weeks of battles. The group Ole gathered enough signatures to put it on the ballot, but a typo in the wording held things up. Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that the typo does not affect the general meaning of the initiative. Now, voters will decide if the minimum wage will go up from $7.50 to $8.50 an hour. The initiative also includes a cost of living increase every year. "I'm very excited for my coworkers. We've put a lot into this and it's nice to see first of all, our work pay off for one," said President of Ole, Mary Lee Ortega. "But it's also nice to see what good we're going to do this community, this city that deserves so much.' The Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce said raising the wage will put local businesses in a crunch and will hurt the local economy. "We're disappointed," said President of the Chamber of Commerce, Terri Cole. "We hoped that we could keep this off the ballot, but you know the last time the voters had a shot at increasing the minimum wage in this community, they voted it down and they're going to vote it down again." Read more

Albuquerque residents to vote on minimum wage increase in November