NC Democrats introduce bills to raise minimum wage to $15/hr, ensure equal pay for women

by Beairshelle Edmé

They want to raise the minimum from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour and from $2.15 per hour to $5 for tipped wage employees.If passed, House Bill 238 and Senate Bill 174 would add paid sick and family leave, as well as ensure women have equal pay for equal work.
Sen. Ben Clark (D-Cumberland and Hoke), is also pushing to ban the box, an effort to remove application questions about a person’s criminal past.
These lawmakers say all the provisions in the bills will benefit North Carolina families and the state’s economy.
“We want the people in our state to both survive and thrive and this minimum wage is not even at the survival level,” said Sen. Angela Bryant (D-Halifax, Nash, Wilson, Vance and Warren).
Democrats are also proposing to add several tax credits, including earned income, childcare and dependent care.