HELENA (AP)
Restaurants are providing most of the funding for the campaign against a ballot initiative that would raise Montana’s minimum wage by $1 an hour. In reports filed with state election officials Monday, the Coalition Against Continual Price Increases- No on I-151 reported raising $90,500 in the past six weeks for its campaign against Initiative 151. Nearly all of that money came from restaurants and restaurant chains, including $25,000 from Pizza Hut, $20,000 from the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C., $14,000 from Wendy’s of Montana and $12,000 from Applebee’s restaurants. I-151 would raise the state minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $6.15 an hour, unless the federal minimum wage was higher, and require annual increases equal to the increase in the Consumer Price Index. Opponents, led by the Montana Chamber of Commerce and the Montana Retail Association, say they don’t object to increasing the minimum wage, but they do object to the annual inflation adjustments. Supporters of I-151, led by labor unions, say it’s been nearly 10 years since the minimum wage was increased and that it’s time for the lowest-wage workers to catch up with inflation. They also say the annual adjustments will take the politics out of deciding the minimum wage every few years or so, as well as eliminating periodic large increases that are harder for businesses to absorb. Supporters of I-151 raised about $30,600 in the past six weeks. Their money came from a group called Raise Montana, whose funds are from labor unions, individuals and the state trial lawyers association. Voters will decide the minimum wage measure in the Nov. 7 election.
