Nebraska’s minimum wage increase not likely to impact Council Bluffs workers, official says
In January, Nebraska’s minimum wage will jump from $9 to $10.50 and will increase by $1.50 every year until 2026.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - With Nebraska voters’ support and passage of raising the minimum wage, a question remains of how communities that border the state will be impacted.
In January, Nebraska’s minimum wage will jump from $9 to $10.50 and will increase by $1.50 every year until 2026.
The ACLU of Nebraska says the move will begin to address pay inequity for Nebraskans of color—especially women of color.
But besides jobs in the service industry, many of which come with tips, the majority of businesses already pay above the minimum wage.
“We’re considerably over what the first couple of increases are, after that we’ll be needing to increase wages here,” says Jeff Jorgensen, owner of the Old Market Candy Shop.
That’s why businesses across the river in Council Bluffs aren’t worried about employees ditching jobs there to work in Omaha.
“It’ll definitely be something we watch cause you have to do that as a border community to remain competitive,” says President and CEO of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce, Drew Kamp.
Iowa’s minimum wage still sits at $7.25 an hour, but Kamp says a mass exodus of employees leaving to work in Omaha is unlikely.
“With the nature right now of the workplace and the constraints on the workforce, the talent attraction, and retention pieces, simply just based on supply and demand, we’re seeing employers have to pay much higher, double the current min wage here in Iowa of $7.25 just to attract people, get them in the door, that alone retain them,” Kamp adds.
“We’ve really seen the marketplace play out and so far, there are very few employers that you’ll find here regardless of what industry that you’ll find paying less than $15 an hour.”
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