Bill Scheel of Arizona Healthy Families Initiative made a case before the Chamber of Commerce’s Public Policy Committee July 28 to increase the state minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2020.

The current minimum hourly wage is $8.05.

The committee based its initiative after research and discussion among working Arizonans, community leaders and small business owners, said Scheel.

The initiative would boost employees’ wages without significantly impacting job growth, reduce staff turnover, create a more stable work force and lower job training expenses, he said.

Employees also would have more disposable income to invest back into the economy.

The committee submitted 272,000 petitions in support of the initiative to be placed on the Nov. 8 ballot.

If approved by voters, Arizona employers would have to pay no less than $10 on and after Jan. 1, 2017, with an increase to $10.50 by Jan. 1, 2018, $11 by the same date in 2019, and $12 by Jan. 1, 2020.

A section defining tipped employees is included and allows for a $3 per hour reduction in pay.

Sick time is mandatory for all employers. The amount of sick time accrued depends upon the number of employees in the company.

The local chamber has not taken a position on the initiative. The state Chamber of Commerce & Industry vigorously opposes the measure, saying that the people the proposition claims to help would be the most harmed by labor force reductions.