Minnesota GOP Gov. Candidate Says Minimum Wage Earners Should Aspire To A Career

Minnesota GOP Gov. Candidate Says Minimum Wage Earners Should Aspire To A Career

Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson (R), the GOP nominee for governor of Minnesota, said Wednesday that increasing the minimum wage isn't necessary, and workers should find higher-paying jobs instead.

"The minimum wage should not be what anybody aspires to, they should aspire to a, a career. They should aspire to a job that allows them to raise a family, the minimum wage won't do that," Johnson said at a press conference.

Johnson also said he opposes automatic increases in the minimum wage.

"Absolutely, absolutely. And I've said this before. I just, I think it's bad policy to ever have an automatic inflator in the minimum wage," he said.

Minnesota's new minimum wage law, which went into effect on August 1, incrementally increases the state's minimum wage for large employers from $6.15 per hour to $9.50 per hour by 2016. For small employers, the number will increase from $5.25 per hour to $7.75 per hour by 2016. Starting in 2018, the state's minimum wage will be indexed to inflation.

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

In total, ten states and the District of Columbia have enacted minimum wage increases during the 2014 legislative session, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Thirteen states with minimum wage increases taking effect at the beginning of 2014 saw an average increase in jobs of 0.85 percent from January to June, while that number was 0.61 percent in other states, according to a July Labor Department report.

President Barack Obama urged Congress in his 2013 State of the Union Address to raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 per hour, and subsequently threw his support behind a push to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.

According to a Congressional Budget Office report released in February, raising the minimum wage to either $9.00 or $10.10 per hour would increase the incomes of most low-wage workers, but it would also result in the elimination of some jobs for low-wage workers.

Johnson will face off against Gov. Mark Dayton (D) in November.

This story has been updated with information about Obama's calls to raise the federal minimum wage, and to clarify the CBO's report on the impact of such increases.

Before You Go

An extra £1.34 an hour could buy you a whole bag of apples
PA
Many different supermarkets sell apples for this price or less. And it's a great way to spend the money, seeing as poor children are often priced out of a healthy meal.
An extra £10.72 a day could buy colouring pens and pencils
It could help families like Vicky's - she told Save the Children last month that colouring pencils and paper were a luxury her family could ill-afford, even though her son loves art.
Or buy a roast dinner for the family
PA
It is possible - here's Hear'say's Suzanne Shaw to show you how. And it's more important than ever, with research showing more than 20 per cent of British families sits down for a family meal only once or twice a week.
Or take the family swimming
Getty Images
A third of children cannot swim even a short distance of 25 metres by the time they leave school, and this extra money to cover the cost to get them in the water and get learning.
An extra £53.60 a week could buy a council gym membership for a month
PA
Three quarters of men in Britain will be overweight or obese by 2030, according to the UK Heart Forum. But gym memberships can be prohibitively expensive.
An extra £214.20 over a month could buy a bike to get to work
Getty Images
You don't have to spend a fortune, there's a whole range of bikes under £200 And it saves money on petrol.
Or buy a new school uniform
PA
Buying a school uniform can be a nightmare for parents with the average cost of a uniform for secondary school pupils is £285 and £156 for primary school children. The Local Government Association has warned that, with the status quo, parents are being forced to borrow money from friends or go into debt to pay for uniforms.
An extra £428.40 over two months could buy a family holiday in France
It won't buy anything luxurious, but every family deserves a little time together in the sun, even if it needs to cost under £500. And holidays inspire disadvantaged children to learn more, according to research from Nottingham University.
Or cover the average rise in rent
Getty Images
The average deposit for renting a flat has risen 50% since 2007, and is now £900. Yet over the same period, average earnings in the UK have grown from just £457.60 to £517.50 a week, with almost no real growth once inflation is taken into account. This extra money would mean families could more ablely afford the eye-watering amounts they have to pay in deposits.
An extra £1285.20 over six months could mean a family is able to start saving money
PA
According to the Labour party, the economic crisis has meant that the average family will be worse off by £974 a year by the time of next year's election. With this rise in pay, families could mitigate the effects of the recession, and perhaps begin to save.
An extra £2570.40 over a year could buy a family a secondhand car
Getty Images
There's plenty of cars on the secondhand market for this price.
Or start your child saving for university
Getty Images
But if you want to buy a house..
PA
It will take 12 years to save for an average deposit - which is £31,000. In the North it would take only six years because the average deposit is £15,862. In London, it would take almost 22 years to save the average deposit of £56,183.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot