TUCSON, Ariz. – As the new year unfolds, a change in paychecks is ushered in for certain Arizonans, with Jan. 1 marking the commencement of the minimum wage increase across the state. The minimum wage has risen from $13.85 to $14.35.
News 4 Tucson engaged with Josue Rivera, the manager at La Indita, to understand the implications for his business and employees. On New Year’s Day, while preparing to open La Indita, Rivera is contemplating the minimum wage hike taking effect.
“That’s one of the discussions we were having: what are we going to move everybody to?” shared Josue Rivera.
While not unexpected, Rivera acknowledges the inevitability of the increase, stating, “We knew it was coming because the cost of living is going up. Everything is expensive. You go to a grocery store now, and 100 bucks doesn’t get you anything anymore.”
Rivera expresses support for the 50-cent raise, considering it well-deserved in the current economic climate. “It’s hard, these times. Especially keeping a job. Turnover is so crazy and there’s so many different things, but hopefully, this helps everybody,” he added.
However, Rivera is mindful of the financial implications for his restaurant. “It might hurt, but we were already planning for this. So, we kind of raised our prices a little bit. But we had to anyway because the cost of food is going up. Cheese, limes, everything. You go to restaurant depot, and you realize something that was 30 dollars is now 90 dollars,” Rivera explained.
Looking ahead, the minimum wage is anticipated to reach $15 by 2025, a gradual progression that Rivera supports. “I think 15 would be good,” he remarked. “It’s good that it’s going slowly. Doing a big dramatic jump, you know, like 2 dollars, that would be crazy because that would have hurt a lot.”
Arizona is among 24 states implementing a minimum wage hike in 2024.
