Argument For I-151
People who work full-time for a living should not have to live in poverty.
The current minimum wage in Montana is $5.15 an hour.
(39-3-409 Montana Code Annotated)
A person working full-time at the minimum wage in Montana will earn wages of $10,712 a year.
($5.15 an hour x 40 hours a week x 52 weeks = $10,712)
An annual wage of $10,712 is 31% less than the federal poverty level for a family of three.
(Congressional Research Service Memorandum – “Historical Relationship Between the Minimum Wage and Poverty, 1959 to 2005”)
Montana’s minimum wage was last raised 10 years ago – in 1996.
(Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996, Public Law 104-188, Signed into Law 8/20/1996)
In 1996 the average price for a gallon of gas in Montana was $1.53 a gallon.
(American Petroleum Institute – “Changes in the Major Components of Gasoline Prices, 1967-2004”)
At today’s gas prices the average person spends $7,967 per year just to drive a car.
(AAA Study – “Your Driving Costs 2006”)
A year of child-care in Montana costs an average of $5,710 for care of a pre-schooler.
(National Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies – “2004-2005 Price of Child Care”)
Since 1996, 23 states have already raised the minimum wage for their workers.
(Associated Press, July 17, 2006 – “Minimum Wage Push Focusing on State Level”)
Over 50% of all Americans live in states that have passed minimum wages higher than Montana’s.
(Economic Policy Institute –“Minimum Wage Issue Guide: FAQs”)
I-151 would raise the minimum wage in Montana by $1.00 an hour to $6.15 an hour.
Give Montana workers a raise.
It’s fair.
It’s right.
It’s time.
Vote for I-151
This Ballot Argument Submitted by:
Tim Kennedy - Small Business Owner - Mom’s Famous Soup and Salad
Jacquie Helt - President, Montana State AFL-CIO and Executive Officer, UNITE HERE ! Local 427
Steve Bullock, Director, Raise Montana
The PROPONENT argument and rebuttal for this measure were prepared by Tim Kennedy - Small Business Owner - Mom’s Famous Soup and Salad; Jacquie Helt - President, Montana State AFL-CIO and Executive Officer UNITE HERE ! Local 427; and Steve Bullock, Director, Raise Montana.
The OPPONENT argument and rebuttal for this measure were prepared by Riley Johnson, Brad Griffin, Merisa Saunders, and Webb Brown.
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