Minimum Wage Indexing Helps All Arizona Workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-04-2007/0004676508&EDATE=

UFCW President Pleased to See Prop. 202 in Action PHOENIX, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Arizona voters once again saw the positive results of their overwhelming approval of Proposition 202 in 2006. As required by the initiative, the Arizona Industrial Commission today approved an increase to account for inflation.

"I join the overwhelming majority of Arizona voters who passed this law last year in thanking the Arizona Industrial Commission for this wage increase," said Jim McLaughlin, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 99.

"This increase will help ensure working families do not lose purchasing power in this slow economy," McLaughlin added. "We are glad to know that because of Proposition 202 Arizona families will not have to wait another ten years for a raise."

Proposition 202, a measure championed by UFCW Local 99 and other labor and community organizations, was passed by voters last November. After nearly a decade, the working families of Arizona finally received a raise from $5.15 per hour to $6.75.

When voters approved Proposition 202, they also approved an indexing feature that will raise the minimum wage from $6.75 to $6.90. This approach was adopted in Arizona and other states to adjust the minimum wage each year for inflation to prevent its value for eroding again in the future.

The UFCW Local 99 is the largest private sector labor union in the state, representing over 17,000 Arizona families. The UFCW is a union whose voice is heard and respected in the labor movement, in Washington, D.C. and in international forums overseas. The UFCW is made up of more than 1.4 million people.