Opposition to LB258 - Respect Voter-Approved Wage Increases

I urge you to oppose LB258, which directly undermines the will of Nebraska voters and condemns working families to falling further behind economically. In November 2022, nearly 60% of Nebraskans voted to tie minimum wage increases to the Consumer Price Index, ensuring wages keep pace with the actual cost of living. LB258 would cap increases at 1.75% annually regardless of inflation rates, breaking faith with voters who explicitly chose CPI indexing over arbitrary caps. The mathematics are stark. When inflation exceeds 1.75%—as it frequently does—workers' real purchasing power decreases even as their nominal wage inches upward. A grocery store employee earning $15 per hour today will find that same wage buys less milk, eggs, and rent with each passing year under LB258's cap. This isn't economic policy; it's a gradual impoverishment of Nebraska's lowest-paid workers. The youth minimum wage provision is particularly indefensible. Setting a permanent $13.50 floor for 14 and 15-year-olds that only increases every five years creates a permanent underclass of workers doing the same jobs as their older peers for substantially less pay. Young workers stock shelves, serve customers, and work just as hard as anyone else. They deserve equal pay for equal work, not discriminatory wages that won't reach $15 until 2065. LB258 represents government overreach into a decision voters already made through the democratic process. The Legislature has no mandate to second-guess or override a ballot initiative that passed decisively just three years ago. If lawmakers believed the CPI mechanism was flawed, they should have campaigned against the initiative in 2022. Working Nebraskans—young and old—need wages that keep pace with rising costs for housing, food, healthcare, and transportation. LB258 ensures they'll fall further behind each year while corporations maintain their profit margins on the backs of underpaid workers. I urge you to vote against LB258 and honor the decision Nebraska voters made at the ballot box.