Cleveland voters to decide whether to increase minimum wage

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland City Council has elected to let voters decide whether to increase the city’s minimum wage.

City council passed legislation Monday night that sends the issue to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and schedules the special election for May 2017.

The proposal would raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour beginning in January 2018. That would be followed by a yearly $1 increase over three years to $15. The minimum wage would then be based on the cost-of-living index.

Ohio’s current minimum wage is $8.10.

The proposal had been submitted by the Service Employees International Union.