Amendment 70: Raising Minimum Wage Instills Maximum Stress on Colorado Families

$8.31 per hour.

That was Colorado’s minimum wage before Amendment 70 passed on Wednesday, November 9th. This proposed bill passed with 54 % of the vote and is set to raise the minimum wage 90 cents every January until it caps out at the $12 per hour limit set for 2020.

When I asked families around my job how they felt about it, I got a mixed poll. More than half of the employees who did not speak English as a first language responded that they were in favor of this bill passing. When I asked them why they felt this way, they seemed to think that it meant more money for them. The part that strikes me as odd is that none of them are employed under current minimum wage standards, although they are being paid less than $12 per hour.

When I tried explaining to them what this measure may do for many families in the state, they opened up a little more. When I explained that this will raise prices of goods that every family uses (milk, eggs, bread, etc.) regardless of their income changing, they began to give me mixed reviews. One Latino coworker of mine went so far as to interrupt my discussion with the assertion “you voting for Trump aren’t you guey?” This caught me off guard.

People seem to be hopeful. They are hopeful that this will raise their pay. Hopeful that this will catch up to Seattle’s $15 per hour minimum wage. Hopeful that the dire outcome from passing this bill is exaggerated.

Those who are opposed to the bill feel that minimum wage jobs are paid accordingly. These wages are for jobs that require minimum skills and an increase would make life for those above minimum wage harder. Their cost of living will go up. Everyday expenses will raise although wages above the minimum standard will not. These are not bleak outlooks to feed on the fear of those in favor of the bill, these are facts. It is being witnessed in Seattle and it will be witnessed in Colorado as well.

What I have found to be evident in my polling on this bill stands out above any statistic; people are far too uneducated and far too optimistic of the consequences of Amendment 70 passing.

Editor’s Note: As this is technically an opinion piece, the author is allowed to state their own opinions and feelings on a matter.  But in order to maintain academic integrity, some of the statements above should be factually clarified.  Specifically, the statements that increasing minimum wage has increased the cost of living and prices of everyday expenses.  The Department of Labor reports that there is no increase in cost of living due to minimum wage increase.  An interdisciplinary study centered in the Evans School for Public Policy & Governance found “little or no evidence” of price increases in several areas in Seattle after increasing the minimum wage to $15.