Legislative History
2002-2003: Minimum Wage Increased from $6.25 to $7.00
In the spring of 2003, the Vermont Livable Wage Campaign lobbied to increase the minimum wage in Vermont. We started with the goal of increasing the minimum wage rate by $1.00 with a COLA (cost-of-living-adjustment) attached. In the end, the Legislature approved a $0.75 increase from $6.25 to $6.75 in Jan 2004 and then to $7.00 in Jan 2005. This increase in the base wage for Vermont workers will place Vermont in the top 5 states in the United States for highest minimum wage rates. Over ten thousand Vermonters received a raise thanks to this increase. Unfortunately, the COLA provision was unsuccessful during this session.
During the debate, VLWC protested when the Governor dropped his support for the COLA by organizing a “flip-flop” action on the state house lawn to bring attention to the Governor’s position. Over 15 people took part in the action which received wide media coverage and helped increase Vermonter’s awareness of the COLA provision.
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Vermont Livable Wage Campaign
21 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401
802.863.2345 x8 livablewage@pjcvt.org
© 2007 Vermont Livable Wage Campaign