Arizona’s Ballot Pushes for $18 Minimum Wage Boost

The group behind a ballot measure to raise Arizona’s minimum wage submitted signatures on Wednesday aiming for a spot on November’s ballot.

Raise the Wage AZ has been collecting signatures for the “One Fair Wage Act” since November 2022. The proposal would increase the state’s minimum wage from $14.35 to $18 per hour.

The measure also plans to gradually reduce the portion of tips that restaurants can use to meet the minimum wage requirements. Eventually, employers would be required to pay the state minimum wage regardless of tips.

The measure requires 255,949 valid signatures to qualify. The Secretary of State’s Office stated that the campaign submitted 354,278 signatures, now pending verification. Raise the Wage AZ expressed confidence in exceeding the required number.

“We believe the One Fair Wage ballot measure will energize voters to support a full and fair minimum wage for all Arizonans, including tipped workers,” said One Fair Wage President Saru Jayaraman.

The measure will compete with a legislature-backed ballot initiative supported by the Arizona Restaurant Association. This opposing measure, the “Tipped Workers Protection Act,” allows restaurants to pay tipped workers 25% less than the minimum wage, provided their tips bring total earnings to at least $2 per hour above the minimum wage.

The Tipped Workers Protection Act narrowly passed in the Senate with a 16-12 vote and then passed the House at 35-24. Opposition argues that the measure misleads the public and fails to protect tipped workers, calling it unconstitutional.

Raise the Wage AZ has filed a lawsuit, contending that the legislature’s measure violates the state constitution and should be barred from the upcoming ballot. Meanwhile, the Arizona Restaurant Association has also raised concerns about potential cost increases for restaurants and consumers if the One Fair Wage Act passes.

Similar grassroots opposition campaigns have emerged in other states facing minimum wage initiatives, often backed by restaurant industry groups.

Advocates for the wage increase pointed to Washington, D.C. as a precedent, where a 2022 law set minimum wages for tipped workers. The area saw campaigns arguing against the change, led by conservative groups and local businesses.

Notably, Lincoln Strategy, a Tempe-based company linked to former Trump consultant Nathan Sproul, managed the campaign against D.C.’s wage increases, although Sproul denies involvement in the current Arizona campaign.

The latest update confirms the signature count submitted by Raise the Wage AZ, now pending county validation.