On January 1, Nebraska increased its minimum wage for workers across the state to $10.50/hour. This was the first in a set of annual $1.50 raises in hourly wages until the minimum wage reaches $15 in 2026, after which wages will be adjusted every year to account for cost of living increases.
This initial increase is the first step in a significant victory for working Nebraskans, our communities, and our state.
58% of Nebraskans supported Initiative 433, a ballot measure to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15. Over 25 organizations and individuals in the Raise the Wage Nebraska coalition, volunteers, directly affected workers and families, and the 160,000+ Nebraskans from all 93 counties who signed the petition supported the effort to place it on the November ballot. A $15 minimum wage will make a significant difference in the lives of nearly 150,000 working Nebraskans, their families, and their communities, and will also be a step towards narrowing Nebraska’s racial and gender pay gaps.
“I have been a hard-working employee in customer service and claims management since I was 17,” said Kim Baker, a customer service and claims management worker in Lincoln. “I’ve done everything right. And I have never made more than $15 an hour. After 20 years, I should be able to live independently with my son but the cost of housing alone makes that impossible on my current wage. Raising the minimum wage and keeping it at pace with the cost of living will help Nebraskans like me by ensuring our wages and our lives keep moving forward.”
“We are pleased to see this initial increase in Nebraska’s minimum wage to $10.50, and look forward to the gradual raises in wages that will help our neighbors and friends support their families and put food on the table,” said Ken Smith, Nebraska Appleseed’s Economic Justice Program Director. “It is also a step toward increasing opportunity for Nebraska families – when each of us has the opportunity to thrive, communities across our state thrive.
With the upcoming start of the 2023 legislative session, the Raise the Wage Nebraska coalition and its supporters will monitor the legislature to ensure Nebraskans’ support for Initiative 433 is not undermined by exceptions, and that our state’s minimum wage remains the same across the board for workers.”