05/14/2015 // Keller Grover LLP // (press release)
Flagstaff, AZ—Could you support a family, especially if you’re the sole income earner, on $8.05 per hour? The answer is a conclusive “No,” and Flagstaff residents are ready to do something about it by overturning a 2013 law that prohibits cities from creating their own minimum wage standards, reports California wage and hour lawyer Eric Grover of the Keller Grover law firm.
The Flagstaff Living Wage Coalition is leading the fight to raise Flagstaff’s minimum wage from $8.05 per hour to an unknown limit by filing a lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that under the 2013 law, Arizona has sole authority to set the minimum wage, which is in direct conflict with legislation voted upon in 2006 called Proposition 202. Proposition 202 states that cities and towns "may by ordinance regulate minimum wages and benefits within its geographic boundaries" as long as the wage was not lower than that set by the state.
In addition, the law passed in 2013 also prohibited cities, towns or local governments from regulating employee benefits, in addition to compensation.
Part of the lawsuit hinges on the fact that because the law passed in 2006 was done so by the voting public, only a ¾’s vote by the house and senate can modify the law Ultimately the goal is to also allow other cities around Arizona to regulate the minimum wage in their jurisdictions as well.
Advocates for the minimum wage increase assert that the cost of living it is “nearly impossible to afford on $8.05 an hour,” AZCentral.com reported. The cost of living in Flagstaff is reported to be more than 13% higher than the national average according to the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce.
“With today’s economics, people who once had high-paying jobs have had to take minimum wage jobs in order to stay employed and keep roofs over their children’s heads. These workers are not making enough to do that with minimum wage, leaving many families with nowhere to turn (http://www.cawagehourlaw.com/low-wage-workers_22.html),” says Grover. “Raising the minimum wage, especially in an area with such high living costs, is exactly what Flagstaff residents need.”
The Los Angeles wage and hour law firm of Keller Grover have been helping victims of wage theft recover lost wages since 2005. To learn more about wage laws and whether you’ve been a victim, contact Keller Grover at 888.601.6939.
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