LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper is proposing a $15 federal minimum wage - with a twist.
Rather than unilaterally hiking the national wage to $15, the former Colorado governor proposes phasing in the increases based on cost of living. The most expensive quarter of the country would get a $15 minimum wage by 2021. The least expensive would see that hike in 2024.
The plan, disclosed to The Associated Press on Friday, proposes then tying future minimum wage hikes to metro areas' cost of living so that more expensive areas would see their minimum wages continue to rise.
The current federal minimum wage is $7.25, but most states pay more than that.
Hickenlooper plans to officially roll out the policy at a forum Saturday on workers' issues in Las Vegas.
