Almost every single Georgia Senate Democrat supports a bill that would raise the state minimum wage to $15 and introduce annual increases to combat Georgia’s rising cost of living. But getting through it will require bipartisan support in the Georgia General Assembly, which is under Republican control.
The Atlanta Civic Circle spoke to one of Senate Bill 25’s sponsors, Sen. Nabilah Islam (D-Lawrenceville), to find out what she thinks the chances of a $15 minimum wage bid come this legislature. The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2009. The Georgia minimum wage is even lower at $5.15, but in almost all cases the state rate applies to Georgia workers.
We also spoke to two Atlanta millennials, Brandon Beachum and Maurice Haskin, who are working with the new Union of Southern Service Workers (USSW) to push for a $15 minimum wage. Workers across the country have been fighting for the $15 minimum wage for over a decade, saying it’s the bare minimum needed to cover basic living expenses like housing, food, transportation and health care.
Currently, a whopping 21 of the 23 Democrats in the state Senate support the SB 25, but they are in the minority party. With 56 state senators, they must work with their Republican counterparts to gain momentum — and time is running out as Crossover Day approaches on March 6. That is the deadline by which a bill must pass its respective chamber and bypass the other side in order to remain viable in that legislature.
Islam says the key to gaining bipartisan support is to focus the conversation on staff development. “Governor Kemp often talks about staff development being a big issue,” she said. “When jobs pay better, you get better recruitment. We need to pay our workers more.”
Islam said 23 states have passed legislation similar to SB 25 since 2001, so raising the minimum wage to $15 in Georgia would make the state far more competitive in hiring workers in a tight job market. “If we’re going to be number one for business, we absolutely have to be number one for workers,” she said.
Millennials organize themselves
One group leading the nationwide push to raise the minimum wage is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). In November she formed a southern branch, the USSW, which has worked closely with service workers in Georgia and the Carolinas.
Both Beachum, who works at a Panera Bread store in Roswell, and Haskin, a line chef at Gaja Korean Bar in East Atlanta, are working with the USSW to fight for higher wages and better worker protections in Metro Atlanta.
Both believe that it takes workers’ solidarity to pass a higher minimum wage law in Georgia. “Politicians who support the law need to understand that they have people behind them,” Beachum said. “When you mobilize the people, politicians who oppose it don’t have a leg to stand on.”
With support from the USSW, Beachum was one of 25 workers at his Panera Bread store last month to demand a $15 minimum wage, safer working conditions and fairer scheduling from their franchise owner.
Beachum, who currently makes $14 an hour, said the cost of living in Metro Atlanta is significantly higher than in Illinois, where he moved about 18 months ago. “Rents in the area are definitely much higher,” he said. “Southern Illinois has relatively cheap rents and you get more space for your money.”
Beachum has lived with his parents to save for a car and bikes to work, a 20-minute ride. “I feel guilty for eating out once a week or even trying to have a social life,” he said.
Haskin has been with the USSW since he joined Gaja about six months ago. “It’s very important that we bring people together to meet and that we educate them,” he said. “Things like tips, working hours and lack of pay all need to change.”
“$15 isn’t enough, but it’s a start,” Haskin said. “We have to recognize the minimum wage because it feels like we’re just stuck in the same spot.”
Haskin makes $18 an hour at Gaja, the first job he’s ever had above the $15 threshold. But it still doesn’t cover his living expenses.
Even though Haskin has been with Gaja for six months and lives in College Park with his family, he still can’t afford a car. The high cost of commuting to work is an important reason for this. He drives every shift in an Uber from College Park to East Atlanta and back, which quickly gets expensive.
Beyond SB 25, Islam, the first-term senator, believes affordable housing legislation is also needed to allow workers on lower wages to keep up with the rising cost of living.
“We must fight the lax laws that affect workers,” she said. “People should be able to afford a home and not be overpriced by Wall Street.”
But workers like Beachum and Haskins, who live with a family and still have to save for months to afford a car, have a long way to go before they can move into a home of their own.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR LEGISLATION
- Click here for the names of your country representative and senator.
- Click here to view their phone numbers and email addresses.
- Use the General Assembly’s Under the Gold Dome dashboard to check the status of a bill in the House or Senate. You can also look up legislators.
