Nearly 300 Nebraska business owners and executives across the state have gone on record in support of ballot Initiative 433, which would gradually raise Nebraska s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Dave Titterington, owner of the Wild Bird Habitat Stores in Lincoln and Omaha, said it is tough enough to find employees in the current marketplace, and even harder if all you can offer is $9 an hour. "When you got child care, you got food to put on the table, you got increased fuel costs for home heating and automobile, how can anybody make it on the minimum wage?" Titterington asked. " .
Wisconsin union leaders say the state is seeing more buzz among organized labor after a decade of anti-union laws hindered regional membership. Construction unions continue their push for protections for nonmembers they said are being exploited. Wisconsin s union membership was down to nearly 8% last year, below the national average. .