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Ballot Measure 25 of 2002 increased
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
's
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. B ...
from $6.50 to $6.90 per hour and required an
annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...
increase to compensate for
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduct ...
in future years. Inflation is measured by the
consumer price index A consumer price index (CPI) is a price index, the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Changes in measured CPI track changes in prices over time. Overview A CPI is a statisti ...
. , the minimum wage in Oregon is $9.25 an hour. The measure was approved in the November 5, 2002
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
with 645,016 votes in favor, 611,658 votes agains
Itemized Measure Listings, Measure 25 page 17
The measure was placed on the ballot as a result of
initiative petition In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a p ...
.


Arguments for and against

Proponents included
labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...
s, the Oregon
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Conference, and other advocates for the
poor Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse
. They pointed out the difficulty of raising a family on the current minimum wage, and argued that tying the minimum wage to inflation was more fair. Rather than teenage workers, supporters argued that many minimum wage earners were adults supporting children. Opponents feared that a minimum wage increase would prolong the
recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
Oregon was experiencing at the time, pointed out that Oregon already had a relatively high minimum wage (compared with other
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
s), and argued that indexing the wage to the
consumer price index A consumer price index (CPI) is a price index, the price of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. Changes in measured CPI track changes in prices over time. Overview A CPI is a statisti ...
would unfairly punish
rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are de ...
communities, since the CPI is based on prices in
cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
.


Detailed history

The measure was sponsored by future
Oregon Commissioner of Labor and Industries The Oregon Commissioner of Labor is an elected government position in the U.S. state of Oregon. The commissioner is the chief executive of Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) is an agency in the ...
Dan Gardner and state Representative Diane Rosenbaum. In 2003, the
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
-controlled
Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of th ...
approved a bill (House Bill 2624) that would repeal the part of Measure 25 that ties the minimum wage to inflation. As of April 2003, however, observers did not expect the bill to pass the
Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...
(which was then evenly split between Republicans and Democrats) or be signed by Democratic Governor
Ted Kulongoski Theodore Ralph Kulongoski ( ; born November 5, 1940) is an American politician, judge, and lawyer who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative As ...
. The bill was not taken up in the Senate's 2003 session, and the Senate is now majority Democrat, suggesting it is unlikely to be taken up in the foreseeable future.


Results


See also

* Oregon Ballot Measure 36 (1996)


References


Statesman-Journal article
January 1, 2004


External links


Oregon State Library: Voters' Pamphlet: November 5, 2002
-includes ballot title, text of the measure, and arguments for and against {{Oregon legislation 2002 in American law Minimum wage law 2002 Oregon ballot measures Labor law in Oregon Initiatives in the United States 2002 in labor relations