Alabama House Approves Bill Blocking Local Minimum Wages

[gtxvideo vid=”ApxlSfQ1″ playlist=”” pid=”2gxTqEDg” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/ApxlSfQ1-120.jpg?cachebust=1455727055464″ vtitle=”WAKA_2016_02_16_22_07_09″]

The Alabama House of Representatives has approved a bill to block cities from setting local minimum wages and to roll back Birmingham’s planned increase to $10.10 per hour.

Legislators approved the GOP-backed bill Tuesday night on a 71-31 vote after cutting off a filibuster by House Democrats. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate.

Alabama has no state minimum wage and instead uses the federal minimum of $7.25.

Rep. David Faulkner, the bill’s sponsor, argued that the increase would hurt job creation and the state should have a uniform minimum wage.

House Democrats have said the federal minimum keeps working families in poverty and that lawmakers were overstepping their bounds.

The Birmingham City Council has voted to raise the minimum wage to $8.50 on March 1 and then to $10.10 in 2017.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)