Nebraska May Lower Minimum Wage for Young Workers

Nebraska may be making changes to its minimum-wage laws that affect a particular portion of the population–minors. A bill to pay minors below the new minimum wage that will be enacted next year is moving forward.

Nebraska voters voted to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour; however, the new bill would set the minimum wage for student workers under the age of 19 at $8 an hour, the same as the current minimum wage for all workers. The bill would, however, prevent a company from hiring only workers under 19 in order to take advantage of the lower wages that would need to be paid to older workers. It would allow businesses to pay the lower wage for only 25 percent of the total hours worked.

State Senator Laura Ebke is the sponsor of the bill, and she claims that it is to help small businesses such as family-owned grocery stores that often hire high school students. State Senator Lydia Brasch said regarding those small businesses, “What they are truly trying to do is to make ends meet and hire one more worker or two more workers.” The measure is supported by the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association.

There are plenty of concerns coming out of Nebraska about the bill, however. First of all, it applies to those under 19, so the vast majority of the people affected are not able to vote. A bill that disproportionately applies to these people seems unfair, and according to State Senator Adam Morfield, takes advantage of those young people. There’s also concern that businesses would want to hire young people they could pay less, to the detriment of older workers. Furthermore, given that the lower wage only applies to those who are in school, students could drop out in order to up their pay to $9 an hour rather than $8, meaning that the measure could end up being counter productive.

Some senators also worry that the bill could create financial hardships for students–after all, the reason that minimum wages are being raised is to keep up with the cost of living, and that cost of living can apply to young people as well. Some may be working to support their families or to save for college. As college costs continue to rise astronomically and many of our students suffer from extremely high levels of debt, the fact that some senators in Nebraska aren’t willing to give students every advantage is concerning. Some do agree–Senator Jeremy Nordquist said about the bill, “It’s an affront to our democracy.” We’ll see if those who feel that way will have enough support to prevent the  bill from passing.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.