Tucson Standard

Business owners in the City of Tucson are preparing to raise employees' minimum wage to $13 an hour on April 1, with a gradual increase over the next three years.

Voters in the city approved the wage hikes that will take effect in 2022 and raise wages over time to reach $15 by 2025, according to KGUN.

"Everyone needs a living wage," Johanna Hernandez, City of Tucson business services deputy director, said to KGUN. "Raising the minimum wage, as inflation goes up, is just critical to our community, our businesses, and our livelihood."

Ignacio Esquibel, owner of a restaurant called Wings Over Broadway, said to KGUN that he didn't mind giving non-topped employees a pay increase but took issue with raising wages for tipped employees since they "can actively affect their own wages."

Prior to the increase taking effect, the city invited business owners to learn about what was required. Hernandez told KGUN some owners wanted to know how it would play out and others were concerned that the language in the proposition was broad. She said that business owners are looking for specificity.

"We will be working to gain that clarity over time," Hernandez said.

Esquibel told KGUN that the increase in wages will likely lead to a rise in prices, not because businesses want to, but because they have to. He added that businesses need support from the community in order to survive.