To accommodate a slightly increased cost of living in the state of Arizona, the state minimum wage was increased 1.9 percent from $7.90 an hour to $8.05 an hour, impacting UA students and faculty members who work and earn minimum wage.
Though well above the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, Arizona’s $8.05 minimum wage remains in the middle of the spectrum when comparing it to other states — with minimum wage as high as $9.47 in Washington or $9.50 in Washington, D.C., according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
According to a recent press release from the Industrial Commission of Arizona from Oct. 16, the minimum wage increase in Arizona is a result of the Raise the Minimum Wage for Working Arizonans Act that was enacted by Arizona voters in 2006.
Alysa Herchet, a nutritional sciences junior and employee at Campus Athletics on University Boulevard, said she thinks the increase will be beneficial to students who earn minimum wage.
“It puts a little extra money in your pocket for rent, so that’s something to look forward to,” said Mikayla Kirby, a pre-physiology junior and employee at IQ Fresh in the Student Union Memorial Center.
Christina Rincon, a senior studying French and speech, language and hearing sciences, and an employee at one of the shops on University Boulevard, also said she thinks the increase in minimum wage is a great thing.
“What I’ve found in my experience with working is that every cent … counts,” Rincon said. “I mean, 15 cents [per hour] will add up.”.”
Cecilia Acedo, a junior studying pre-business and pre-retail who works at the Student Recreation Center, said the increased minimum wage still isn’t enough.
According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, Goldman Sachs compared changes in employment between December 2013 and January 2014 and found that a faster employment growth occurred in states where the minimum wage had been raised rather than in states that kept minimum wage at the 2013 level.
An economic forecast report from the UA’s Eller College of Management Economic and Business Research Center indicates a 2.1 percent change from a 2014 in total employment, excluding farming positions.
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