The $5.15 an hour minimum wage leaves Ohio workers and their families deep in
poverty. From Arkansas to Michigan, California to Maine, states have decided that people who work hard deserve better. Ohio may be poised to join those states.

Here is a list of resources related to the issue of the minimum wage, produced in 2005 and 2006.

Policy Matters Reports

Room to Grow: Ohio Can Afford a Higher Minimum Wage
Amy Hanauer of Policy Matters, Jon Burton of the Center for American Progress, September 06

Minimum Wage, Jobs, and Business Growth
Policy Matters Ohio, 2006, 2 page fact-file (pdf)

Good for Business: Small Business Growth and State Minimum Wages
Amy Hanauer of Policy Matters, Jon Burton of the Center for American Progress, May 06

Who Needs a Raise? Potential Impact of a Higher Ohio Minimum Wage
Amy Hanauer of Policy Matters, March 2006

Pulling Apart: Inequality Growth in Ohio
Amy Hanauer of Policy Matters, and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute, January 2006

Out of the Basement: Who Would Benefit From a Minimum Wage Increase in Ohio?
Hee Yon Sohng and Amy Hanauer of Policy Matters, April 2005

The State of Working Ohio 2006
Amy Hanauer of Policy Matters, September 2006

Making Ends Meet: Basic Family Budgets in Ohio
Wendy Patton of Policy Matters, July 2006

Additional Resources

Hundreds of Economists Say: Raise the Minimum Wage
Economic Policy Institute, October 2006

Why There Are No Privacy Problems Raised by the Ohio Fair Minimum Wage Amendment
Peter P. Swire, C. William O’Neill Professor of Law and Judicial Administration, Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University

Securing the wage floor: Indexing would maintain the minimum wage's value and provide predictability to employers
Michael Ettlinger of the Economic Policy Institute, October 2006

A Teachable Moment: The Minimum Wage and the Youth Vote
Youth Voices and the Columbus Annenberg Civic Education Model, 2006 (pdf)

This resource, meant for high school teachers to use in their classrooms, presents the arguments of supporters and opponents of the minimum wage and provides a resource for educators who want their students to be informed about this issue.