Commentary: Yesterday, the Las Cruces City Council heard a presentation from Mayra De La Canal, the city’s economic development coordinator. Ms. De La Canal presented data collected from the city’s GRT, restaurant GRT, and number of business licenses from 2014 and 2015, revealing a growth in the year 2015 from 2014. The first phase of the minimum wage, implemented on January 1, 2015, increased the city’s minimum wage from $7.50 an hour to $8.40 an hour and increased the tipped wage from $2.13 an hour to $3.36 an hour. She concluded that raising the minimum wage did not have a negative effect on the Las Cruces’ economy.
CAFé clergy and leaders present at City Hall left feeling excited and encouraged. Reverend Carol Tuck shared, “I am so glad to hear that the hard work of community members to raise the minimum wage is paying off. The minimum wage earners we talk with share that raising the minimum wage has supported them in many ways. Additionally, when we researched raising the minimum wage before embarking on our campaign in 2013 we learned that raising the minimum wage would help grow and stimulate the local economy. Today we celebrate because raising the wage helped workers and all of Las Crucens.”
“I’m glad to see that the council is keeping their promise to minimum wage workers by implementing the next minimum wage raise,” said community leader Cassandra Calway. “The minimum wage raise has relieved some economic stress for minimum wage earners and their families, but there is still poverty in Las Cruces. Expanding public transportation, increasing affordable housing, and paid sick leave are just some examples of actions the City Council can take to reduce poverty in our city.”
“When we started our initiative to raise the minimum wage we knew that it would both be a targeted and universal policy. Raising the minimum wage is a policy targeted at a specific demographic the majority of who are women, Latinas, between the ages of 33-35, and have an average of two children,” explained Sarah Silva, NM CAFé’s executive director. She added, “Raising the minimum wage is also a universal policy, it has a proven ability to stimulate local economies and create greater economic opportunity for people at all pay levels.”
NM CAFé clergy and leaders remind workers and employers that on January 1st, 2017 the minimum wage will increase to $9.20 an hour and to $3.68 for tipped employees.