- Still no clear path for a higher minimum wage, By Jonathan Berr, November 5, 2014, CBS News: “During Tuesday’s midterm election rout by the Republicans, Democrats captured a small victory when Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota became the latest states to raise their minimum wages. Increases also passed in San Francisco and Oakland. The impact of these votes will vary. Arkansas’ and South Dakota’s hourly minimum wage will hit $8.50, while Nebraska’s will rise to $9 and Alaska’s will reach $9.75. Residents in Illinois also gave a thumbs-up to raising their minimum wage in a nonbinding vote. Rates in San Francisco and Oakland will jump t0 $15 and $12.25, respectively…”
- Minimum wage hikes: Where voters gave themselves a raise, By Seth Freed Wessler, November 5, 2014, NBC News: “Voters in four states passed minimum wage increases at the polls on Tuesday, building on the momentum of over a dozen other states that in the last two years also increased their wage floors. Beginning in January, an estimated 420,000 of the lowest-paid workers in Alaska, Arkansas, South Dakota and Nebraska will see their paychecks grow. The state increases passed yesterday bring to 17 the number of states that since 2013 have opted to raise minimum wages…”
- Red-leaning states say yes to a higher minimum wage, By Jeanne Sahadi, November 5, 2014, CNNMoney: “The midterm elections have been rough on Democrats. But they did well on one key issue they’ve been championing for months — a higher minimum wage. Based on the results tallied by 2:45 a.m. EST, voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota — all red-leaning states — had approved proposals to raise their state-level minimum wages over the next few years…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty