Oklahoma City, Okla. — Oklahoma voters will soon decide on a significant minimum wage increase, as State Question 832 is set to appear on the June primary ballot.
The proposal aims to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour in 2027, $13.50 in 2028, and $15 in 2029.
The current rate of $7.25 has remained unchanged since 2009.
The initiative has sparked debate among lawmakers, corporate executives, and industry leaders.
Kinsey Westwood of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau expressed concerns, stating, “It’s kinda basic economics. When wages go up, so does everything else.”
Dr. Bradley Ward from Americans for Prosperity added, “When government steps in to dictate what a job must pay, it doesn’t create prosperity.”
James Leewright, president of the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, argued against the hike, saying, “You’ll make significantly less as a manager than you will waiting tables.”
However, the Oklahoma Policy Institute estimates that more than 300,000 Oklahomans would benefit from the wage increase.
Hunter Evans, a manager at Ace Hardware, expressed support, saying, “It’ll help a lot of people out. Especially, with buying groceries, and food, and kind of getting the necessities for life and daily living. It helps a lot.”
The proposal has been years in the making, and if approved, it would impact part-time workers, agricultural workers, domestic service workers, and others under the Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act.
Currently, businesses with at least 10 full-time employees or grossing more than $100,000 annually are required to pay the minimum wage.
As the vote approaches, the debate continues over the potential economic impact of the proposed wage hike.
