Milwaukee County Raises $15 Minimum Wage For County Workers

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors approved raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour in a 12-4 vote, Thursday morning.

The minimum wage increase will only apply for county employees and workers of contractors hired by the county.

Several of the supervisors spoke and said  this the first step in making Milwaukee County one of the best communities in the nation, particularly for people to color to work well-paying jobs and will increase the quality of life.

"We’re still way far behind but this step today is incredibly important . the largest county in the state of Wisconsin will now make sure that we are not paying poverty wages," said Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic.

The first raise will likely be $12.25 an hour at the start of 2017.