Ohio Rep. Brigid Kelly of Cincinnati proposed to increase the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour by next year, and hopes to raise it to $15 by 2023. Currently, it’s $8.55 per hour in Ohio.
Some smaller businesses oppose the bill, citing concerns that wage hikes would ultimately be passed on to the consumer, pushing even more customers to big box stores and online retailers.
Kelly, however, is more concerned with closing the gap between living costs and stagnant salaries. “If you’re working full-time, you shouldn’t have to decide between buying food for your kids and leaving your lights on this month,” she says. “But that’s a huge issue that many of our low-wage income earners face … If minimum wage kept up wit inflation, it would be more than $20 an hour.”
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