Hennepin County Looks To Enact $20 Minimum Wage For Employees

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — Some employees who work for Hennepin County could soon see more money on their paychecks.

In a news release, the county said a resolution to raise the minimum wage from $15 to $20 per hour passed unanimously out of committee this week. It will go before the county board for a vote on March 23.

If the board approves the proposal, pay increases will take effect March 28, the county said.

“It was time to move this forward,” Hennepin County Board Chair Marion Greene said in a statement. “The most compelling reason for this increase is to improve lives for our employees at the lower end of our pay scales.”

More than 41,000 residents in the county pay more than half of their monthly income in rent. Raising the minimum wage helps combat inequities and ensures economic mobility, Greene said.

“The combination of low wages and high rent keeps upward economic mobility for our residents out of reach. An hourly wage increase has the ability to immediately impact the well-being of county employees at the lower end of our pay scales. This is about money in people’s pockets,” Greene said in a statement. “This is one step the county can take as an employer, but it isn’t a complete solution. I hope that other employers in the region follow our example.”

The county will also require an annual review of the minimum wage and require increases when necessitated by employment market data and economic conditions.

A minimum wage of $20 an hour would increase earnings by nearly $10,000 a year for more than 400 employees, the county said.

“This change aligns with the county’s goal of reducing disparities in income and employment areas,” County Administrator David Hough said in a statement. “It also aligns with our workforce development strategy to potentially move clients off government support. But this is just one part of a larger regional problem we need to solve. We need regional employers to look at wages to help be a part of this solution.”