Prop. 206 passage means raises for Tucson’s lower-wage earners | Local news

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Proponents of the initiative say the minimum wage hike is long overdue to keep up with the cost of living in Tucson; Opponents believe that the measure increases administrative burdens for entrepreneurs.

“It will pose some pretty overwhelming problems for businesses, so we are concerned about the implications of this proposal,” said Michael Guymon, Tucson Metro Chamber Interim President and CEO. “But we as a chamber will do what we always do in such situations and work with our local business owners to educate them about the various aspects.”

The election measure sets the citywide minimum wage at $ 13 on April 1, 2022. The nationwide minimum wage is expected to reach $ 12.80 on January 1, 2022.

Guymon said the wages that Prop. 206 will implement are “a duplicate of a state minimum wage that we already have.”

Billy Peard, attorney and co-author of the minimum wage initiative, said the incremental increase will help business owners acclimate.

“We are confident that this will be a very gradual adjustment for small local businesses to incorporate this new law into their business practice,” he said.

Tucson’s top officials could get a raise

Proposal 410, the Tucson Mayor and City Council electoral pay increase, narrowly cited on Tuesday evening. Initial results showed that 46.2% of voters approved of the article, while almost 45.9% voted no. Approximately 8% of the city’s electorate did not cast a vote on this issue. Some votes have yet to be tallied and the final numbers may not be known until later this week.

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