Last week, the Mayor and I proudly announced a proposal to raise wages for all Denver workers starting January 1, 2020. Our proposal is to follow the incremental path outlined by the state legislature— raising wages to $13.80/hr. on January 1, 2020, and then to $15.87/hr. in 2021. Wages would then increase more gradually based on the cost of living in 2022, and each Jan. 1 after. The proposal will boost pay for more than 100,000 Denver workers.

Please share and consider attending one of these public meetings to share your feedback on the proposal:

1. SOUTHWEST (Facebook event)
Date: Wednesday, October 2nd @ 5:30pm
​Location: Justice For All Center – 2525 W. Alameda Ave. Denver, CO 80219

2. FAR NORTHEAST (Facebook event)
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 8th @ 6:00pm
Location: Evie Garrett Dennis Campus (DPS) – 4800 Telluride St., Denver, CO 80249

3. SOUTHEAST (Facebook event)
Date: Thursday, Oct. 10th @ 6:00pm
Location: George Washington High School – 655 S. Monaco Pkwy., Denver, CO 80224

4. CENTRAL (Facebook event)
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 16th 6:00pm
Location: Carla Madison Recreation Center – 2401 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206

5. NORTHEAST (Facebook event)
 Date: Tuesday, Oct. 22nd @ 6:00pm
Location: Hiawatha Davis Jr. Rec Center – 3334 Holly St., Denver, CO 80207

6. NORTHWEST (Facebook event)
 Date: Tuesday, Oct. 29th @ 6:00pm
Location: DPD District 1 – 1311 W. 46th Ave., Denver, CO 80211

Background:
Local governments like Denver have the power to raise the minimum wage for our residents citywide thanks to new authority granted by the state legislature. This proposal addresses income inequality in our city, which causes many Denver residents to struggle to afford basics like housing, transportation, and food, and to remain in the prospering city they helped build.

Raising wages is critical to the residents of our city for a variety of reasons.

• This proposed ordinance is racial justice in action: 50 percent of Latinx workers and 38 percent of African American workers in Denver would receive a raise by 2021 under this proposal.
• This proposed ordinance is gender equity in action: More than 30 percent of all women working in Denver would get a raise by 2021 under this proposal.
• Increasing the minimum wage has been associated with a variety of improved public health outcomes, such as lower depression and suicide rates, increased access to healthcare, and improved maternal, child, and infant health outcomes.

Helpful Resources:

• The Public Review Draft of the bill
• A One-Pager with the basics of the bill
• How an Increased Minimum Wage Would Affect Denver Workers
• Additional resources are available at www.denvergov.org/livablewage.

Forward. Together.
Councilwoman Robin Kniech