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Suit Filed to Block Minimum Wage Hike in Arizona


Yesterday, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge heard arguments in regard to a legal challenge that seeks to halt implementation of a minimum wage hike in the state that was approved by voters this past November.  Under the approved measure, Proposition 206, the minimum wage rate (currently at $8.05/hour) will rise to $10/hour and then ultimately $12/hour by 2020.

For those who have not been following the matter, last week, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce filed suit to challenge the higher minimum wage rate.  The Chamber, joined by a few other pro-business groups, argued that the minimum wage hike violated the state's constitution because it failed to identify a funding source for its budget implications.

For those who support a higher minimum wage rate in the state, I would not necessarily call this lawsuit disheartening.  Last Friday, a request to immediately block the minimum wage hike was rejected.  As a result, hearings were set on the matter for this week.  Of course, that does not necessarily mean this lawsuit will be rejected...nor does it mean the lawsuit will prevail and block the minimum wage hike.  Instead, this is likely a matter of the judge being thorough and taking the time to allow all parties to argue their position and assert the basis for their suit (or why the suit should fail).  With that being said, the approved minimum wage measure would raise the hourly wage rate in the state to $10/hour on January 1, 2017.  With less than two weeks to go, the clock is ticking.  Stay tuned.



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