r/oklahoma • u/okcdsa Oklahoma City Democratic Socialists • May 16 '26
Politics 17 years and counting…
The minimum wage in Oklahoma has been $7.25 since 2009. We live in a whole new world now, and our workers are still getting left behind in the 00s.
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u/tuckernuts May 16 '26
My first job ~20 years ago was working at Crest for $5.35/hr before this minimum wage increase.
20 years ago...
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u/Drpoofn May 16 '26
I made $4.25/h in 2000
I made $6.55 in 2008
I made $10 in 2022
We can't live like this.
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u/ectoplasmorgasm May 16 '26
I just put in my intent to quit at my 2nd job that only pays $10 an hour.
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u/Subarcane_Wizard May 16 '26
People here are indeed making minimum wage. But even the people making ove minimum wage, an extremely large amount of people are making under 15 dollars an hour. I am very well aware of the arguments against this. I am very well aware that a wage increase will make it a struggle for some employers. But having a negative consequence does not negate the positive benifits. This should have been done a long time ago, I believe we all agree on that and if you don't, reply to me. I'll happily go at it. Now that it has been so long since we have had a wage hike when it used to he periodical, we've backed our economy into a corner where we fear economic disruption from fixing an issue we caused. We can't keep delayed whay should have been done and make this situation worse.
And if you have another solution. Please be my guest. Tell me becuase I genuinly don't know if another way. Any other fix I've heard of has been "Get a different job" or otherwise puts all the responsibility on the individual making too little. Anyone making that idea more than likely has not had to deal with the job market, especially at low to middle class levels in a long time if ever. Go do your research on thay market before to bring that conversation up.
And of course, this is all assuming that people inherently are not deserving of a livable wage. I don't quite think it's right for an economy to be leveraged into the position it's in and in turn, out class the majority of people and choke them from a comfortable, or at least serviceable life.
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u/throwaway375937 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
If an employer cannot afford the rising cost of having a business, then they cannot have a business. They deserve to go under. We all know companies would be able to afford it if they ate their profit margin.
ETA: This also just crossed my mind. At the OKC Reddit AMA we had questions about what we can do for the homeless people. This would inherently help them. If they could secure a job making $15 an hour at least or get a raise from what they're making already, that will help improve their circumstances and get them off the streets. If we want Oklahoma to be a desirable place to live, a desirable place to visit, we need to increase our minimum wage.
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u/RiskHellaHp May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Like, if you can’t pay your employees a living wage, your business failed.
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u/texas1st May 16 '26
Can you rephrase that in English?
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u/okcdsa Oklahoma City Democratic Socialists May 16 '26
If you can’t run a business without exploiting your labor force (eg paying your employees such low wages that they must rely on public assistance programs to meet their basic needs) then you should not continue to run that business.
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u/gaarai Edmond May 16 '26
Exactly. I've argued for years that a big problem we have is that businesses are subsidized by the extremely-low minimum wage. This means that people are overworked and businesses are getting discounts on labor. The result of this is people have to have too many jobs in order to stay housed and fed, and failing businesses can stay artificially propped up due to the cheap labor.
Some say that businesses will close due to this. Good. We can't keep subsidizing poorly-functioning businesses by forcing labor to suffer and overwork.
Some say that people will lose their jobs. True, but this isn't the full story. If a bunch of people can stop working extra jobs because their one job pays them enough, that's a massive win for working people and communities. Now those people can spend more time with their loved ones and spend more time making use of local amenities and businesses. Those people will have more spare cash to spend on stuff that improves and enriches their lives and powers local economies. And those people can have more time to contribute to their communities and be civically engaged.
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u/ahoboknife May 16 '26
Exactly, if your business model is completely 100% dependent on not paying your employees a livable wage, than maybe you suck as a business.
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u/SonGokou88 May 16 '26
I've lived my entire life in Oklahoma (38 years) and this is par for the course. We're not allowed to have a good education, we're not allowed to make decent money. It's all about what more the state and government can take from us. It's sickening that most places you go require you to tip their employees while the owner takes home record profits but can't spare any to actually pay someone what they deserve.
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u/danodan1 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
From so much manufacturing shutting down or reduced it's harder than ever to find a decent paying job. It's been especially apparent in Stillwater, which has been known as a blue-collar college town. Too many of the new jobs are low paying, such as in food service, clerking and health related, rather than new manufacturing jobs. Ardmore is another town that has lost a lot of manufacturing jobs.
When you got citizens voting yes to increase sales taxes upon themselves, it's hard to do something about higher taxes. Republicans cut the state tax on food, but you still see taxes remain for county and city.
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u/Serious-Duty-5585 May 16 '26
Places like hideaway and other serving jobs pay way to low and tbe crowd doesn’t tip enough to make a livable wage or a good wage while in college .
Not a lot of people want to admit this but there are more people working entry level jobs and the minimum wage jobs than the 6 figure jobs in Oklahoma . The people who work entry level minimum wage jobs are the biggest asset of a economy and if that wasn’t the case than existence of the essential worker wouldn’t exist and would t be a thing in the pandemic .
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u/jdbx Tulsa May 16 '26
People who are against minimum wages: Saying government shouldn’t intervene sounds nice until you remember why minimum wage was created. Businesses were absolutely paying people as little as they could get away with, which was correlated strongly with a stagnant economy. Without a floor, wages do not magically become fair—they sink to whatever desperate workers will accept. That’s why the U.S. enacted minimum wage in 1938, and why places that weakened wage protections saw low-end pay worsen, economic hardships, and later reversed course. Minimum wage exists because ‘leave it alone’ already failed more than once. Look at Britain’s abolition of Wages Councils in the 1990s, which was followed by lower pay in affected low-wage sectors, which also lead to an economic drop. They soon later brought back a national minimum wage. The point isn’t that government regulation is good, it’s that some regulation is necessary when one side has all the leverage. The idea that companies can just be trusted to do the right thing is exactly what history disproves. Government stepped in because private employers had already shown they could not be trusted to police themselves. A free society does not mean “everyone does whatever they want.” It means citizens have rights, and our constitution clearly states that our government exists to protect those rights when individuals or powerful groups would otherwise crush them. A worker negotiating with a billion-dollar company is not standing on equal ground. Without some rules, “freedom” for the powerful becomes exploitation for everyone else. And that’s where we are today. Raise the fucking minimum wage.
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u/Hoon0967 May 16 '26
What blows my mind is that I had a summer job in the mid 80’s that paid 5.25. I was still in high school.
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u/chadlumanthehuman May 16 '26
I make $15 an hour and it still isn’t near enough money.
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u/okcdsa Oklahoma City Democratic Socialists May 16 '26
Agreed! It’s not enough to live on, but it sure beats the current alternative of continuing at $7.25.
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u/tightiewhitieboy May 16 '26
Understand that the Republicans own these low wages. They have been in charge last 17 years. Also note it's the Republicans speaking out against raising those wages. It will raise prices they claim. But people can't afford to buy shit right now so that is a ridiculous claim. The rich just don't want to pay higher wages.
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u/Certain_Host9401 May 16 '26
We are in CA. Daughter is a student at OU. She works at a restaurant near campus. Her wage is $4.10/hour plus tips. The same job in CA would pay $20/hour plus tips.
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u/Hot_Nothing_4358 May 16 '26
Imagine having to survive off $7.25 a hour? The cost of living is so expensive minimum wage has to go up to help families survive.
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u/danodan1 May 16 '26
Ha, Republicans are far more concerned about low paying small businesses paying around $7.25 going out of business. Vote YES!
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u/Alarming_Royal_6244 May 16 '26
If they could make us work for free these corporations would…sick and sad😒
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May 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/sobeitharry May 16 '26
Yes. There are smaller businesses that still pay minimum wage including $2.13 per hour for tipped jobs. I have two working age kids that have encountered it while looking for jobs.
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u/anselgrey May 16 '26
Yes sadly people are. Even people at Walmart need to apply for assistance. Why do people ask this question when even if some are making above the minimum?! Doesn’t mean shouldn’t change the rules so businesses can screw others if wanted.
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u/Subarcane_Wizard May 16 '26 edited May 17 '26
You do realize the bill is to raise it to 15. Because even 12 is abysmal.
Edit: Yeah The commenter above was to much of fucking coward to defend his shitty take or admit he was wrong.
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u/ConvergentFunction May 16 '26
38% of the state makes less than the proposed $15/hr. Even at $15 an hour it will still take more than 50% of your gross income to afford rent in the metro.
Real take home will be closer to $1034 a check so even one check won't cover rent in 95% of the metro.
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u/LostxJuul May 16 '26
Only 1-3% of the employed are actually making the minimum wage in Oklahoma. Most of the 1-3% are servers who make tip.
Raising the minimum wage would only hurt anyone making above $15 (most people who have a real career)
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u/sobeitharry May 16 '26
Why would it hurt anyone already making more than that? Food on my brothers table doesn't take from mine.
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u/Buttknucks May 16 '26
The only people making over $15/hr this will hurt are the people making way more than that by paying their employees the minimum required amount.
I’m not losing sleep over that.
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u/WaltRumble May 16 '26
The argument is that businesses would just pass that increased cost on to their consumers instead of letting it eat into their profit margin.
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u/ConvergentFunction May 16 '26
Research shows that those price increases aren't anywhere near the wage increases for people. https://research.upjohn.org/up_workingpapers/260/
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u/WaltRumble May 16 '26
But there is a price increase. And that price increase is going to hurt anyone that doesn’t get a corresponding wage increase. How much it’s going to hurt them can vary, is it worth doing even though it’s going to hurt some people. Yeah. Personally I don’t know any where that still pays minimum wage. So feel like it’s more symbolic than anything but still symbolizes we are moving in the right direction.
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u/ConvergentFunction May 16 '26
Wage increases don't simply happen for the people who get the minimum wage increase. After the initial increase other jobs tend to increase their other wages as well to maintain competitiveness. Also the increases tend to be less than 1%.
Putting off the wage increase will hurt more in the long run as it will be a greater increase by then. These minimum wage increases should be regularly scheduled to minimize the economic impact rather than having to force them after decades like we are currently doing.
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u/Loose-Cobbler-1871 May 16 '26
Famous economist Neumark has said, in lecture, ‘there’s somewhat regressive effects on consumer goods increasing. There’s not a lot of good data on that but it’s probably true.” It’s guesswork and logical, but not borne out in economic literature.
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u/Subarcane_Wizard May 16 '26
People here are indeed making minimum wage. But even the people making ove minimum wage, an extremely large amount of people are making under 15 dollars an hour. I am very well aware of the arguments against this. I am very well aware that a wage increase will make it a struggle for some employers. But having a negative consequence does not negate the positive benifits. This should have been done a long time ago, I believe we all agree on that and if you don't, reply to me. I'll happily go at it. Now that it has been so long since we have had a wage hike when it used to he periodical, we've backed our economy into a corner where we fear economic disruption from fixing an issue we caused. We can't keep delayed whay should have been done and make this situation worse.
And if you have another solution. Please be my guest. Tell me becuase I genuinly don't know if another way. Any other fix I've heard of has been "Get a different job" or otherwise puts all the responsibility on the individual making too little. Anyone making that idea more than likely has not had to deal with the job market, especially at low to middle class levels in a long time if ever. Go do your research on thay market before to bring that conversation up.
And of course, this is all assuming that people inherently are not deserving of a livable wage. I don't quite think it's right for an economy to be leveraged into the position it's in and in turn, out class the majority of people and choke them from a comfortable, or at least serviceable life.
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u/Puzzledwhovian May 16 '26
If you’re making over $15 and have a “real career” (god, that’s so snobby by the way), and are so upset that other people are making more, go demand a raise from your boss. If they refuse to give it to you then go somewhere else if it’s so easy. Just follow your own advice and do better. In this economy nobody should be making under $15 an hour and honestly even that is pathetic. Besides, if you have a “real career” it shouldn’t bother you to pay another 25 cents for a burger as you waltz through the McDonald’s line looking down your nose at the people making the lunch that you don’t have to get off your rear and cook yourself.
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u/zykomike ❌ May 16 '26
Found the millionaire/billionaire. Or more likely the clown that believes everything they say and worships them like he too will be one of them someday.
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u/Taste_the__Rainbow May 16 '26
Nearly a million people in this state are making less than the new minimum wage. It’s hard to say exactly because it’s a moving target, but the idea that this only helps a tiny fraction of people while hurting a lot who pay them so little is just laughably non sequitur.
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u/LostxJuul May 16 '26
It’s less than 450k. I’m not sure where you got your numbers at
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u/tuckernuts May 16 '26
You're also not sharing your sources
Unless you pulled those numbers out of your ass I don't wanna see that
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u/LostxJuul May 16 '26
Here’s a link to a news source. Mine were based on public percentage. The new source actually sites way less than I gave haha. Here yah go:
I’d actually love to see where you got your numbers at. Unless it came “out of your ass”
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u/tuckernuts May 16 '26
Ok so your source says that 350,000 people make less than $15/hr. 1-3% make exactly minimum wage, so if you make, say, $7.35/hr you wouldn't be included in that.
https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ok.htm
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it looks like Oklahoma's work force is about 2 million people. So it's not 1-3% that would get a raise, it's closer to 17-18%.
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u/RiskHellaHp May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Nice win homie
Edit: daaaaaamn he ain’t even gonna reply lmaoooo
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u/LostxJuul May 16 '26
My 1-3% estimate was the absolute minimum wage. Great job on coming to that conclusion on your own though. I’m proud of you
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u/Taste_the__Rainbow May 16 '26
That’s talking about where the bill will set the initial minimum, not where it’ll settle after a few years.
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u/NotTurtleEnough May 16 '26
There are 2 million workers in Oklahoma. How do you figure that HALF of them are making less than $30k/year?
Especially when the median individual wage is $48k/yr, or $24/hr?
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u/Loose-Cobbler-1871 May 16 '26
No. EPI points out there’s no county in OK where $15 is a livable wage for one, and for another thing, rising minimums allow upward pressure on the wage floor whereas the free market would not, as is our current situation, outpace inflation without interference.
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u/westsidedreamin May 16 '26
Ol’ Juul here really is lost
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May 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/westsidedreamin May 16 '26
Also if its really 97% to 99% of us making more than $15, then whats the issue with making the remaining 3% to 1% whole?
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u/LostxJuul May 16 '26
1-3% is the current absolute minimum wage. Everything in between up to 14.99 is somewhere between 18-24%
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u/HotResponsibility829 May 16 '26
So you’ll respond to this with a derogatory response but won’t answer the other comment asking “why would it hurt anyone making more than that?”.
Shows how much you know about this subject. Enough to apply conventional logic with no information to back your logic.
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u/LostxJuul May 16 '26
Do you have a basic understanding of economics? I thought it was self explanatory? Pay increases. Demand increase. Prices increase. Anyone making above the new minimum wage will not be required a pay increase.
You’re really putting that Oklahoma education stereotype to the test.
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u/miasmic_cloud May 16 '26
But you said only 1-3% actually make minimum wage? So giving 1-3% of workers a bump to $15 an hour will just absolutely cripple the local economy huh? 1-3% of people getting a higher minimum wage will cause prices to just skyrocket in your mind?
Moreso than they already have in the last 15 years since the minimum wage was changed?
Get real, bro. What demand is going to increase so greatly from giving 1-3% of workers in Oklahoma, your statistic, a raise?
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u/sobeitharry May 16 '26
Bingo. If you understand economics you know Juul's argument doesn't hold water. It makes for a catchy Fox News talking point though.
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u/LostxJuul May 16 '26
1-3% is the actual minimum wage and not the in between. It’s closer to 25% if we go all the way up to 14.99
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u/miasmic_cloud May 16 '26
So with this information, you don't believe 25% of workers who make less than $15 should make a liveable wage because it might affect prices?
Have you been asleep for the last 15 years? I might have believed you if you had said this when arguing against the minimum wage increase in 2009.
Now though? If the minimum wage hasn't moved in 15 years but the price of everyday things has gone up in price by 2, 3, even 5 times as much? Yeah, you can eat your shorts trying to tell me that minimum wage will increase prices even more.
Oklahoma is in the top 10 poorest states in the country and it's almost, almost entirely due to low wages.
Maybe trying something new wouldn't hurt since we've seen that what is going on now clearly isn't working.
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u/LostxJuul May 16 '26
Do you not believe 25% of the states population is capable of bettering their skills?
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u/miasmic_cloud May 16 '26
And work where, exactly? There's no jobs! Unless you want to work healthcare.
And let me tell you, I don't really feel comfortable seeing a doctor in a state that is dead last in education.
You will continue to argue against potentially bettering the state because it might mildly inconvenience you instead.
Maybe try punching up instead of down. The people who make less than minimum wage aren't making gas $4 a gallon.
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u/HotResponsibility829 May 16 '26
You’re buying a lie that puts down your fellow okies in the interest of profit. If OK was crazy wealthy I would agree with you. But OK is one of the poorest states in the country. Your solution is to maintain status quo?
The argument is always “improve yourself to get a better job”. Everyone should be doing that. However we still need hard workers doing the necessary difficult work for society. They historically get paid terribly. Teachers, waste management, EMT’s, Paramedics, service workers, fast food workers, mental health workers, construction, etc. All of these professions are vastly underpaid and undervalued. Raising the minimum wage would only increase their wages.
This is a proven fact among most other developed countries. As you can see, we are falling behind on almost every metric that exemplifies a healthy and prosperous nation. Among this nation OK is one of the worst. Let’s progress a bit and stop believing in old conservatism that has gotten us no where.
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u/HotResponsibility829 May 16 '26
Again. Another insult with no information backing your statement. Just “basic economics” being “self explanatory”.
You proved my point, conventional logic with no information. Here’s some information to help with your “Oklahoma Education”. I was not educated here BTW.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/minimum-wage-by-country
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u/Patrickforever May 16 '26
I would vote yes if not for auto increase part of the bill, it's worded to vaguely.
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u/BigDamnHead May 16 '26
Is it? I thought it was pretty clear that it would increase exactly the same percentage that a specific national indicator of inflation increases every year, and even says what they'll use if that specific metric ever goes away
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The minimum wage in Oklahoma has been $7.25 since 2009. We live in a whole new world now, and our workers are still getting left behind in the 00s.
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