ThinkProgress: The Conservative Backlash Against Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave Victories Sweeping The Nation

“Nineteen states have passed laws blocking local governments from raising the minimum wage above the state level. Some laws, such as Colorado’s, enacted in 1999, have been in place for a long time. However, 11 out of the 19 laws have been enacted since 2013. (There is also some question whether Pennsylvania’s vaguely worded law actually bans localities from raising the minimum wage.) These laws range geographically from coast to coast, but 13 out of the 19 preemption laws were signed into law by a Republican governor.

On top of this, 15 states have banned localities from establishing paid sick leave requirements, including 14 of the states that have also blocked higher minimum wage laws at the local level. Preemption laws against paid sick leave have sharply increased in recent years, as 12 of the 15 states passed their laws in the last three years. At least 12 were signed by a Republican governor, while in Missouri, one of the states to pass a preemption law against cities raising the minimum wage and enacting increased benefits, the law only passed after the legislature overrode the vetoof Democratic Governor Jay Nixon.”

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