FAIR WAGES FOR OREGONIANS

I believe it’s time for Oregon to recognize the truth: much of what we call “inflation” is not an economic necessity — it’s corporate greed, disguised as rising costs.

While working families have struggled to keep up, corporate profits have soared to record highs. Wages have stagnated while housing, food, and healthcare costs have skyrocketed. It’s not because we can’t afford better — it’s because too many corporate leaders have chosen not to pay fairly.

That ends now.

As Governor, I will fight to implement a $25 minimum wage statewide — a wage that reflects the real cost of living and restores dignity to work. This is not a handout. It’s a reset — a demand that those who profit from Oregon’s economy reinvest in the people who make that economy possible.

This minimum wage will lift hundreds of thousands of Oregonians out of poverty, shrink reliance on social safety nets, and stimulate real economic growth as working families finally have the purchasing power to drive small businesses, housing markets, and local industries.

We will implement this increase in phases over three years, giving small businesses the time and support they need to adapt. Businesses under a certain revenue threshold will qualify for grants, tax offsets, and transition funding — because fairness must be sustainable for everyone.

By combining the $25 minimum wage with my plans for free healthcare, free childcare, affordable housing, and massive job creation through Solar Innovation City, Oregon will become the most worker-friendly — and opportunity-rich — economy in the United States.

Raising wages isn’t radical.

Letting people work full-time and still live in poverty is what’s radical — and unacceptable.
In Oregon, we will honor work again.

And we will build an economy where prosperity is earned, shared, and celebrated.