Act NOW! ABQ minimum wage hike up for final passage THIS MONDAY!

Albuquerque’s City Council will be discussing and likely voting on a proposed minimum wage increase which would take the City’s mandated wage rate to $15 an hour AND index it to the  average of the consumer price index and the rent at the average rent in our community.

You can reach out to all the city councilors here. It will take 5 minutes.

Here are a few talking points that are worth including in your comments:

Raising minimum wages can squeeze out low-skilled workers and increase the cost of living and doing business.

California has a $20 an hour minimum wage for fast food workers. According to a study by UC Santa Cruz this has “reduced in employee hours, increased automation, and increased menu prices.”

Minimum wages are just one of many ways that Albuquerque is NOT business friendly. Fast food chain Wendy’s just closed numerous locations putting dozens of people out of jobs. Policymakers at the city and state levels should work to reduce the cost of living by returning money to workers in the form of tax reduction and by tackling the housing affordability challenge.

Rent in Albuquerque is not particularly expensive. According to a Wallethub study of 182 major US cities Albuquerque renters paid 33rd LEAST rent as a percentage of their incomes. 

Use these talkers to contact all the city councilors here. It will take 5 minutes.

If you’d like to speak at the City Council meeting itself it is at City Hall in downtown Albuquerque at 5pm on Monday night. You can sign up for public comment ahead of time (we recommend general comment which takes place earlier in the meeting). You should be able to sign up starting Friday evening.