Minimum wage increases go into effect today in 24 states, but Louisiana is not one of them and remains one of a handful who’ve kept the federal minimum of 7.25 an hour.
Stephen Waguespack, head of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, talks about the move to increase the national minimum wage to $15 an hour.
State lawmakers are gearing up for the legislation session this spring. 2019 is an election year and several local leaders expect to see some heavy politicking.
New Orleans Democrat Senator Troy Carter believes all businesses who have 50 or more workers should pay at least $9.50 an hour. He has filed a bill to impliment the change by August 2019.
Since the retail giant built the wage increases into their $7 billion plan to invest into itself, the raises will not affect the company's bottom line.