On Monday, supporters of the YES on SQ 832 - Raise the Wage Oklahoma campaign gathered at the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office to turn in what they said are almost double the number of signatures required by law.
State law requires ballot initiative proponents to gather 92,263 signatures in 90 days. Raise the Wage said they gathered almost 180,000.
Amber England, the spokesperson for Raise the Wage Oklahoma, addressed reporters from behind a podium constructed of boxes full of signatures, with supporters and a tower of still more boxes behind her.
After overcoming legislative hurdles, including a court challenge, she said “it is time to let the people vote.”
“We know that when the cost of gas, groceries and housing just keeps going up, wages should also,” England said.
The State Chamber of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation challenged the proposed measure, but ultimately the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled it could go forward.
Chad Warmington, president and CEO of the State Chamber, said member companies already pay above the minimum wage and are not interested in suppressing worker wages.
“What is a major concern to us is the automatic, open-ended increase being linked to a federal government produced index that is based upon cost-of-living rates in cities like New York or San Francisco,” he said in a news release. “Those areas are not reflective of the actual cost of living in Oklahoma. This ill-conceived plan would give Oklahomans no opportunity to adjust or halt these automatic increases.”
Mattece Mason also spoke at the event and has a different view. She owns a childcare center in Tulsa that employs 12 people. She said it’s good for business owners like her that the wage increase would be incremental. But she also said she fully supports the measure, and a higher minimum wage would push business owners like her to do better by their workers.
“It gives you an initiative to work towards to lift your business up so you can provide a living wage for your people,” said Mason.
“The people have spoken. And that’s what democracy is all about.”
State Question 832 would gradually increase the minimum wage until it reaches $15 an hour in 2029. Then, it would increase every year with the cost of living.
The signatures will go through a verification process before being put before voters.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
