PRESS RELEASE: Washtenaw County Commissioners Approve $15/Hour Minimum Wage for County Full-Time Employees

Last night, the Board of Commissioners approved a resolution establishing a $15/hour minimum wage for all regular, full-time Washtenaw County government employees. The resolution passed the Board unanimously. 

"In Washtenaw County, we firmly believe in paying employees at least a $15 minimum wage.” said Jason Morgan, Washtenaw County Commissioner for District 8. “This resolution is about making a clear policy statement and sending a message. We want to lead by example and encourage area businesses, nonprofits, and other units of local governments to pay their staff a living wage. People who work at least 40 hours a week should not be living in poverty.”

This will only impact a small portion of the current workforce, as the vast majority of Washtenaw County government employees have been making over $15 an hour for several years. Under this resolution, some seasonal employees and a few other non-regular job classifications will continue to make slightly under this mark.

"Giving the assurance to our current and future employees that they will be paid at least $15 an hour is an important first step, " said Sue Shink, Chair of the Board of Commissioners and Commissioner for District 2. "We also know that $15 an hour is often not enough for families in our community to make ends meet, so we must continue working to change the system and support residents to further disrupt generational poverty."