Missouri Republicans Lower St. Louis Minimum Wage From $10 To $7.70 [View all]

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POLITICS 07/03/2017 01:52 pm ET
Missouri Republicans Lower St. Louis Minimum Wage From $10 To $7.70
Take that, local decision-making.
By Dave Jamieson


If you thought the minimum wage only moved in one direction, then Missouri Republicans have a surprise for you.

After St. Louis leaders raised the wage floor for workers within city limits, the state GOP recently passed what’s known as a statewide “preemption” law, forbidding localities from taking such matters into their own hands. On Friday, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) said he would let the law go into effect, thereby barring cities and counties from setting a minimum wage higher than the state level.

For low-wage earners in St. Louis itself, the new law will have a startling consequence: It will actually push the minimum wage back down, from the city-approved $10 per hour to the state-approved $7.70. The downgrade is slated to take effect on Aug. 28.

For someone earning the bare minimum, that’s a potential cut of 23 percent.

HuffPost readers: Are you, or is someone you know, a St. Louis worker affected by this law? Email us about it.

It’s impossible to say how many St. Louis employers will take the GOP up on the offer to slash pay, given the effect such a move could have on competitiveness and morale. But if businesses agree with Republicans that the city wage hike is too aggressive, then at least some of them are likely to revert to the lower pay rates, particularly in low-wage industries like fast food.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/st-louis-minimum-wage_us_595a69bae4b0da2c7324d725