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<img src=http://www.kwmu.org/pic/speakersm.gif border=0> Minimum wage boost on the ballot in Missouri

By Maria Hickey, KWMU

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwmu/local-kwmu-537944.mp3

St. Louis, MO – Missourians will decide on Election Day whether to raise the state's minimum wage to $6.50.

It's currently the same as the federal level of $5.15, which Congress has not raised since 1997. Since then, 23 states have pushed their minimum wage above the federal level.

But Missouri's proposition would not only increase the wage but also tie it to the Consumer Price Index.

As KWMU's Maria Hickey reports, supporters say that way the wage keeps pace with the cost of living, while opponents say it hamstrings businesses.

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