LINCOLN, Neb. - A coalition of Nebraska community organizations and supporters are collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that would raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026.

Nancy Williams, president and CEO of the group No More Empty Pots, said the measure can directly address poverty, which she believes is at the root of a host of challenges facing Nebraska families - from food and housing insecurity to educational opportunities for youths.

"When we have a higher wage for more workers," said Williams, "that will give them more income to be able to take care of basic needs."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nebraska consistently ranks among states with the highest number of people working multiple jobs to make ends meet.

Forty two percent of Nebraska's lowest-earning families spend more than a third of their income on housing alone.

Critics of raising the minimum wage have argued that it could hurt small businesses and claim most jobs paying basement wages are held by teenagers.

In 2014, Nebraska voters raised the minimum wage through ballot initiative from $8 to $9 an hour, which took effect in 2016. Tipped workers earn just $2.13 an hour.

Williams said raising the minimum wage will impact one in five Nebraska workers across the state, and most are not high school students making extra cash.

"Eighty one percent, from the data that we have, are aged 20 and older," said Williams. "About a third of those have a high school diploma. So it is not just for teenagers, it's for everyone who does the work."

Williams added that many teenagers contribute to their family's income, and all workers deserve to be paid a fair wage.

She said gradually increasing the minimum wage will increase opportunity for Nebraska families to thrive, and will also be an important step toward achieving racial and gender pay equity across the state.

The deadline to turn in at least 87,000 verified signatures to make the 2022 November 8 ballot is the first week of July next year.

Thousands of U.S. auto workers remain on strike, and the walkout is being felt in Minnesota. A rally was scheduled this morning in the Twin Cities suburb of Plymouth, where the car company Stellantis has a parts distribution center. Employees there, as well as from a G.M. parts facility just across the Wisconsin border, are part of the nationwide strike.

Bernie Burnham, president of the Minnesota AFL-CIO, was among the groups hosting today's rally, and said local workers are telling her that a lot of the contract fight has to do with helping new workers.

"These newer workers are getting a different system of pay - they get benefits, but their pay is to the point where sometimes they have to have a couple of jobs," she said.

She reiterated what UAW leaders have argued - that CEOs at these automakers are taking in big profits as workers push for better pay and benefits. Some companies at the center of the strike have called the walkout unnecessary, arguing they have made stronger offers than what union leaders are claiming.

Burnham pointed out there are safety concerns as well, with workers saying they are having a hard time keeping up with overtime demands.

"You're expected, of course, to do more with less time, and to just kind of keep pushing the pace all the time," she continued.

She suggested those demands stem from higher turnover rates among newer workers, who end up leaving once their pay rate maxes out. Among other demands, the UAW is seeking a switch to a 32 hour week with 40 hours of pay in its contract negotiations.


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Most of the news about the automotive industry this month is focused on the United Auto Workers' strike against the Big Three automakers, but the story is different in rural West Tennessee.

A huge battery and vehicle manufacturing campus is being built in Stanton, with an expected economic impact of $5.6 billion. The nearly 6-square-mile Ford BlueOval City campus is expected to create 6,000 new local jobs.

Ethan Link, assistant business manager for the Southeast Laborers District Council, a division of Laborers International Union of North America, said the project is on track to open in 2025, and should be a major investment in the future of electric vehicles.

"They're building this enormous, and really, state-of-the-art Ford assembly plant to build the F-150, Lightning, as well as a battery plant right next to it, that is going to supply all the batteries they need for that," Link outlined. "We're really excited about the scale and the scope of what this project is going to mean for the new green economy."

A Tennessee College of Applied Technology school is also being planned near the site to train workers for the new jobs. He added the union workers building the plant are making more than $20 an hour and receiving health and pension benefits.

Rodney Bond, trainer from Brownsville with Laborers Southeast Training Fund, a joint fund of the union and participating contractors, is responsible for training the workers to lay asphalt for the plant.

"We did the casing for up under the building, and we poured the concrete for the 'BOS' (basic oxygen steelmaking) plant," Bond explained. "I'm glad and excited to have come here, it changed my life. I mean, it's a blessing to work with these guys."

Stacy Torrance, a laborer for Walbridge Construction Company, said in a region where there are few job opportunities, this has been a good one.

"Right now I work with a carpenter crew, so I tend to them," Torrance noted. "When I started, we were doing walls on body, then we moved to assembly. But now, we are pouring slabs, so we're doing all that; we form 'em up and they pour 'em. When I first came out there, I was new to the whole process, so I got to learn a lot. The pay and stuff is very good."

James DeWalt Sr., another laborer for Walbridge, performs maintenance at the site.

"I maintain the grounds in the building and make sure they stay safe," DeWalt emphasized. "Safety is their most important rule, so we all are safe. So, we try to make sure that everything's pretty safe and clean, so people can move around."

The union said a 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration class is also offered on job site safety, and there are first aid CPR courses and specific training for operating aerial lifts.

Federal data show much of the U.S. is seeing job growth for the clean energy sector, and Minnesota is no exception, as new regional numbers confirm the state is adding more workers to the field.

The organization Clean Energy Economy Minnesota is out with a new report, noting around the state, jobs supporting resources such as solar energy or electric vehicles grew overall by nearly 3.5% last year. Nearly 60,000 Minnesotans work in the clean energy sector.

Amelia Cerling Hennes, managing director of the group, said the encouraging trend is not just confined to certain parts of the state.

"The clean energy sector is benefiting economies all across the state," Cerling Hennes reported. "About one in three clean energy jobs are located in Greater Minnesota."

She cited some regional hot spots, such as St. Cloud, which is the fastest-growing area outside the Twin Cities. Statewide, there was a 10% growth in jobs supporting the transition to electric vehicles. Industry sources acknowledge challenges, with 82% of clean-energy employers citing difficulties in filling open positions, prompting renewed calls for more investments in job-training programs.

Becky Wacker, director of energy services sales for the energy solutions firm Trane, said like many other firms, they are adding to their Minnesota staff. She pointed out there are many types of roles within clean energy, and Trane is trying to help those interested make an easier transition.

"We've got some early talent development programs to help train those young professionals as they're coming into our business," Wacker explained. "Whether it's recent college graduates or technicians or those looking to be out in the field."

Both Wacker and Hennes emphasized because of the demand for services and projects, clean energy can serve as a career, as opposed to a temporary vocation. More broadly, industry leaders are calling on Congress to protect funding -- from policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act -- for additional clean-energy development and the jobs created. Concerns are mounting under demands from House Republicans to cut spending.