Milwaukee County board approves $15 minimum wage for contractors

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The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors gave its approval to a resolution that would eventually lead to a $15-per-hour minimum wage for county employees and contractors.

If also approved by County Executive Chris Abele, the “living wage” resolution would raise the wage for workers to $12.25 an hour starting Jan. 1. The wage would gradually increase until it hits $15 an hour on Jan. 1, 2022. Every year afterward, the wage would be increased in accordance with the rate of inflation for the previous calendar year.

The County Board passed the resolution 12-4 on Thursday. Supervisors Deanna Alexander, Dan Sebring, Anthony Staskunas and Steve Taylor voted in opposition.

According to the resolution’s text, the federal government’s mandated minimum wage has not kept pace with increases in the cost of living seen over the past few decades.

Milwaukee County is not the only large employer in the area to raise its minimum-wage standards.

The board’s resolution follows a commitment by the Bucks to set a $15-an-hour living wage for all its employees that will work on its new arena. The new minimum wage for all Bucks employees will start at a $12 an hour in 2017, gradually increasing to $15 an hour by 2023.

The Bucks’ new downtown arena is being built by the Milwaukee office of Mortenson Construction, and will be finished in time for the 2018-19 NBA season. Follow @alexzank