Democrats, including state Sen. Joe Schiavoni, introduce bill to increase minimum wage to $15 per hour

Staff report

Columbus

Democratic state lawmakers, including state Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, introduced a bill to increase Ohio’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by the year 2025.

Almost 70 percent of new jobs in Ohio pay poverty wages, according to Policy Matters Ohio.

“Raising the minimum wage is good for our economy and good for business,” Schiavoni said Tuesday. “When people are bringing home more money, they spend it in their local economy. That means increased demand for goods and services creating more jobs.”

Schiavoni is a Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate.

Ohio’s minimum wage is $8.30 per hour and $4.15 per hour for tipped workers.

The legislation being introduced by the Democratic lawmakers would take a tiered approach to raising the wage, calling for $12 per hour in 2019, $12.50 in 2020, $13 in 2021, and 50 cents every following year until 2025 when the minimum wage reaches $15 per hour.

The minimum wage would continue to be adjusted upward for inflation every year following, according to the Ohio Constitution.