City Councilman introduces new minimum wage bill for Chattanooga

Chattanooga, TN (WDEF) – City Councilman Moses Freeman has big plans for minimum wage in Chattanooga, which he shared with his colleagues Tuesday afternoon.

"I introduced the minimum wage because I have been getting a considerable amount of requests from citizens concerned about the living that they’re making and the life that they’re leading," said Freeman, "Because the minimum wage at the federal minimum is just not satisfactory to most people."

As of now the federal requirement for minimum wage in America is $7.25/hour, which Freeman said doesn’t measure up to how much time and effort the average employee who makes minimum wage puts in, "They work so hard, and so long," said Freeman, "So they need to be compensated based on their performance and their work, and minimum wage is some way we can get that done."

The new bill is currently being drafted, but Freeman already has a few supporters on his side. "I’m confident that at least the majority of my colleagues in the council will do the right thing and vote for the minimum wage bill," said City Councilman Chris Anderson.

"We’re not trying to force anything on them, but we want them to understand that workers do need a raise," said Freeman, "So we need to take it into our own hands as a city council to help the workers here in Chattanooga."

Nearly two dozen cities and counties in the U.S. have already set their own higher minimum wages, including Seattle, San Diego and Chicago. So over the next few months Councilman Freeman said he’ll be studying what an appropriate minimum wage for Chattanooga would be.