Rally to raise Idaho’s minimum wage being held Wednesday

The Bannock County Democrats are hosting a rally Wednesday night to “raise awareness about Idaho’s minimum wage inequities.”

Starting at 6 p.m., a simulcast with Representatives Chris Abernathy (D-District 29) and Sue Chew (D-District 17), who will be at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise, will be shown at Liberty Hall in Pocatello.

Both Representatives have sponsored House Bill 55, which aims to raise the state minimum wage to $8.25 an hour by July 2019 and then again to $12.00 an hour by July 2021, according to a press release.

Idaho’s minimum wage currently stands at $7.25 per hour, the same as the federal minimum.

Of the 477,000 workers paid hourly rates in Idaho in 2017, 5,000 earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, while 11,000 earned less, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

According to information from Census Reporter, more than 20 percent of Pocatellans live below the poverty line and more than 50 percent of residents make fewer than $50,000 a year.

The rally aims to help give Idahoan’s a chance to earn a “livable wage.”

Idaho’s minimum wage has been set at $7.25 since 2009 when it was raised $0.70 from $6.55.