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Arkansas Voters May Decide Minimum Wage Increase

Organizers of an effort to raise the minimum wage in Arkansas are awaiting Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s decision on their proposed ballot measure.

The group, Give Arkansas A Raise Now, wants to increase the state’s minimum wage from $6.25 an hour to $8.50 an hour over a three-year-period. Stephen Copley oversees the campaigns efforts. He says growing economic inequality is a serious issue.

“This is an important issue for working people. You know, they are working hard, playing by the rules, and the current minimum wage just doesn’t give them enough money to make ends meet,” said Copley. “Over 100,000 workers in Arkansas still get the state minimum wage and it really is almost impossible to survive on that.”  

According to Copley, it has been five or six year’s since the last wage increase and many Arkansans continue to struggle after the recent recession.

Copley says if there are any issues with the proposal’s wording, then the group will correct those details and resubmit the measure to the attorney general.  A decision is expected this week.

Malcolm Glover was a news anchor/ reporter for KUAR News from 2007- 2014.