After Nebraska lawmakers blunted voter-approved minimum wage increases earlier this year, a Lincoln city councilman is proposing a way to preserve the original policy locally.
Lincoln City Councilman James Michael Bowers – District 1 (Photo: KLIN News)
Councilman James Michael Bowers, who represents northeast Lincoln on the council’s District 1 seat, announced Thursday his intention to introduce the ordinance at the Council’s next regular meeting on Monday, April 27.
The ordinance, if approved by a majority of council members (at least four of seven), would maintain the original 2022 minimum wage standard, “without exceptions.”
In a statement, Bowers said the measure “reflects the clear and overwhelming vote of Lincoln residents.”
Initiative 433 was approved by 64% of voters in Lancaster County, and 58.7% of voters statewide, in November 2022. The measure increased the state’s minimum wage by $1.50 annually through 2026, landing at $15.00/hr. Starting in 2027, the minimum wage would adjust each year based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Midwest Region—the metric used to determine the cost of living.
Bowers said the initiative was supported by every council district in the city, nearly 70% in District 1 (northeast Lincoln) and exceeding 71% in District 3 (southwest Lincoln).
On a 33-16 vote in February, the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill to cap future increases to the minimum wage based on cost-of-living at 1.75% annually. A new “youth minimum wage” option was also created for employers, allowing workers age 14-15 to be paid $13.50/hr, with increases of 1.5% starting in 2030.
Nebraska State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln – District 28. (Nebraska Unicameral Information Office)
That legislative effort was spearheaded by Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, a registered Democrat, who served on the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners from 2010 to 2014 and the Lincoln City Council (District 3) from 2015 to 2022 when she was elected to the Legislature.
Raybould announced this year she would not seek reelection.
“Lincoln voters were clear, and they spoke with strength across every part of this city. This ordinance merely keeps that decision intact,” Bowers said in a statement. “When voters set a standard so overwhelmingly, it should not be changed after the fact.”
The proposed ordinance has received early support from Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, who voted against Raybould’s bill, calling it a “favor to corporate special interests with massive lobbying power.”
“I’m grateful to see Lincoln leaders step forward to protect the will of the voters and provide solutions in the midst of an affordability crisis. I hope other communities in our state recognize that they have the ability and responsibility to do the same,” she said in a statement.
Bowers’ proposal does not create a new policy, he said, but “merely preserves one already decisively approved by voters.”
The ordinance will be introduced Monday, April 27. Ordinances are subject to three readings on three consecutive Mondays. First reading serves essentially as public notice, residents have an opportunity for public comment on second reading, and the Council votes on third reading.
The seven-member council is comprised of six Democrats and one Republican member.
“The goal here is straightforward,” Bowers said. “When Lincoln voters speak clearly, it’s the job of an elected official to follow through, not walk it back.”