A state advisory board just voted to raise the minimum wage from the current $5.15 to $5.70 an hour this October, and to $6.50 an hour next year.
Gov. Doyle says the increase is necessary for people trying to support a family.
"5.15 an hour working full-time, someone earns $11,000 a year. You can't even support yourself, much less someone else.”
But some local businesses that rely on minimum wage workers say they may have to increase their prices.
“I don't disagree with the minimum wage increasing, but looking at it from a business standpoint, I know that it will affect not only our business, but other businesses having to pass that cost on to the customer in some way,” says Holly Briqulet-Miller, co-owner of Briq's Soft-Serve in Wausau.
The last time the minimum wage was increased in Wisconsin was in 1997. The state Legislature also has to approve the idea.
