Minimum Wage

"This is the only future for the service sector and the economy overall: wages must go up or there will be no future," said one activist.

"Raising the minimum wage in the Golden State is a moral imperative," said Joe Sanberg, the investor and anti-poverty activist sponsoring the ballot initiative.

"If the subminimum wage for tipped workers persists, the restaurant industry is unlikely to recover from its growing labor crisis, regardless of how much money the federal government hands out to business owners."

"Setting a new $15 per hour wage floor for federal government work will encourage employers across the country who are currently paying poverty wages to compete for labor and start paying fairer rates."

"With consumer prices rising substantially over the past year, the need for a higher federal minimum wage is more acute than ever."

"Michigan persists as one of 43 states with a legacy of slavery—a subminimum wage—and a very low overall wage of just under $10 an hour. Neither is enough for people to live on."

"Underpaid workers, especially Black and brown workers, have been mobilizing to demand higher wages, safer workplace conditions, and dignified jobs—and they're succeeding."