Navigator Award Finalist: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown
Oregon is implementing a phased and geographic-tiered approach to raise the state’s minimum wage, an approach that’s earned high praise for the governor, who championed the idea.
This is the 27th in a series of profiles on the 50 finalists for Route Fifty’s Navigator Awards program. The first 10 finalists were from the Government Allies and Cross-Sector Partners category. Finalists 11-20 were from the Agency and Department Leadership category. Finalists 21-30 were from the Executive Leadership category. Finalists 31-40 were from the Next Generation category. Finalists 41-50 were from the Data and IT Innovators category. Explore our complete list of 50 finalists.
Because the federal minimum wage has remained stagnant at $7.25 an hour since 2009, a patchwork quilt of higher minimum wages has taken shape in some of the nation’s states and municipalities. Activists, public officials and others advocating for the nation’s working poor have secured victories in state legislatures, city halls and county buildings, plus at the ballot box.
While proponents of higher minimum wages have pointed to economic benefits included lifting more families above the poverty line, such actions have been opposed by some in the private sector who feel that higher wages will squeeze businesses and cause employers to eliminate positions.
It’s a complicated issue for sure and one that will important to monitor in the states and localities that are implementing higher minimum wages in their jurisdictions. That includes Oregon, where Gov. Kate Brown earlier this year helped secure a victory for the nation’s highest minimum wage, which is being phased in over the next few years and is structured in three geographic tiers.
The plan was one of Brown’s legislative priorities for 2016 and it’s a plan that other states considering their own way forward on the minimum wage could potentially adapt.
In the Portland metropolitan area, the minimum wage will increase gradually to $14.75 an hour by 2022; in the “standard” area, which includes many smaller- and medium-size cities like Eugene, Medford and Corvallis, the minimum wage will increase to $13.20 an hour by 2022; and in 18 rural counties, mainly in the eastern part of the state, the minimum wage will increase to $12.50 an hour by 2022. In 2023, the minimum wage will be indexed to inflation based on the Consumer Price Index.
"I am extremely proud of the collaborative spirit of the stakeholder groups that worked to develop this legislation," Brown said when she signed the measure, according to The Oregonian. "Oregon has . . . taken a very smart approach in a way that makes sense for workers and for businesses no matter where in Oregon they are."
Time will tell if Oregon’s tiered approach for the minimum wage will be a success—or whether it will be replicated elsewhere—but thanks to Gov. Kate Brown, who is a Route Fifty Navigator Award finalist thanks to her efforts, and legislative leaders who pushed the issue and successfully brought different stakeholders to the table to hammer out a final proposal, Oregon has laid out a framework that could be trailblazing for others to follow.
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive’s Route Fifty and is based in Seattle.
NEXT STORY: Navigator Award Finalists: Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Gov. Tina Smith