Initiative petition to increase Oklahoma’s minimum wage faces legal challenge

On October 27, 2023, two individuals represented by attorney Melanie Wilson Rughani of the Oklahoma-based law firm Crowe & Dunlevy filed Initiative Petition No. 446, which proposes a dramatic increase in Oklahoma’s minimum wage over the coming years. But the petition faces a serious legal hurdle before it makes its way to the ballot.

Proposed minimum wage increase

If passed by voters, the petition would raise the state’s minimum wage to $9/hour beginning in 2025, with successive annual increases resulting in a $15/hour minimum wage in 2029.

The petition further proposes that, beginning in 2030, the Oklahoma minimum wage would be increased annually based on the cost of living, as measured by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Opposition

On November 20, 2023, the Oklahoma State Chamber and Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation filed a protest with the Oklahoma Supreme Court asking it to declare the petition legally insufficient. They argue that a portion of the petition violates the Oklahoma Constitution, and the proposed wording of the ballot initiative is misleading.