States Advocate for $20 Minimum Wage Amidst Ongoing Inflation.

Labor activists are pushing for a $20 minimum wage in states like New York, California, and Massachusetts, as workers' gains from previous minimum wage hikes are being erased by inflation. However, opponents argue that such wage hikes could be detrimental to small businesses, which have already been hit hard by the pandemic. The federal minimum wage in the US has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2009, but states and some localities are free to set higher amounts. Thirty states have chosen to do so.