Santa Fe local business community wants min. wage capped

As Santa Fe marks the 10th anniversary of its nationally known living wage ordinance, some members of the local business community say it’s time to freeze the wage at its current rate.

 If trends continue, Santa Fe’s minimum wage, currently $10.29 per hour, could easily go to $10.50 or more next year. The chamber and others have consistently opposed the wage increases, and – when the rate jumped last year from $9.85 to $10.29 per hour, giving the City the highest minimum wage in the country – argued the rate needed to be capped. 

A city ordinance requires that wage increases be recalculated every year based on a federally determined annual consumer price index for the Western United States. Mayor David Coss said the minimum wage will quickly lose its meaning if it doesn’t keep up with inflation. He called the wage a “great accomplishment” that has “made a giant difference in the lives of working families.”

Santa Fe local business community wants min. wage capped