Organizers of an effort to establish a minimum wage in Madison gathered 600 of the 12,853 signatures needed Monday, and they say UW-Madison students will be instrumental in their campaign to gather the rest.
The Madison Fair Wage Campaign, spearheaded by UW-Madison senior Joe Lindstrom, former alder Tom Powell and Ald. Austin King, District 8, advocates instating a minimum wage of $7.75 an hour generally and $3.88 an hour for tipped employees in Madison.
The group is trying to collect enough signatures within the next 60 days to boost their referendum onto the election ballot Feb. 17, the same day as Wisconsin's presidential primary.
Lindstrom said the 600 signatures collected Monday on Library Mall reflected campus energy for the cause.
\That was good especially because on the first day we didn't have a lot of volunteers organized,"" Lindstrom said.
King said the group will try to utilize UW-Madison students in the effort by attending 11 kick-offs this week. They will try to gain support from the Green Progressive Alliance, the College Democrats, Associated Students of Madison and the Student Labor Action Coalition, among others.
The campaign is also sponsoring an ordinance that will go before the city council. If the council does not pass the ordinance, the initiative would go to the ballot with enough signatures.
While opponents of raising the minimum wage argue it would hurt small businesses, state Rep. Marc Pocan, D-Madison, a co-sponsor of the campaign, said at the press conference the referendum would help business owners keep more highly skilled employees in the long term with fewer training and recruitment costs.
""I've had a small business in this community for 15 years ... and I can tell you that raising the minimum wage in Madison is good for employers,"" Pocan said.
However, small-business owner Steve Heaps of the Chocolate Shoppe, 468 State St., said he did not favor such a drastic increase in minimum wage. The referendum could force him to raise prices and cut employees, Heaps said.
For example, Heaps employs two people at night for safety reasons even if business is slow, but if he had to pay them $7.75 each, he would have to re-think that plan.
Heaps, a member of the Greater State Street Business Association, said he did not want to speak for the group, but added, ""I assume the group would probably not endorse this.\
