Louisiana's new Governor says he thinks the minimum wage in our state should be higher. The Chairman of the Senate Labor Committee disagrees with that idea.  A battle over how much Louisiana workers deserve to get paid is beginning to take shape in Baton Rouge.

Governor John Bel Edwards reportedly wants to increase Louisiana's minimum wage to $8.25 an hour. That would be one dollar above what the current federal minimum wage is currently mandated to be. Senate Labor Committee Chairman Neil Riser opposes that plan and any plan that would increase the state minimum wage at this time.

We have business in Louisiana really struggling, right now.  Even in our oil field, right now, 25-percent of the workforce has been laid off and I'm hearing numbers, by June, it could be up to 50-percent.

Riser, a State Senator from Columbia, believes the economy in Louisiana is too fragile to support a minimum wage increase. He also believes that raising the minimum wage would diminish job creation in the state.

Businesses hire people to give them a start and give them a skill level and develop a skill level.  When you develop that skill level, you move on to higher paying jobs.

Riser, whose comments were reported by the Louisiana Radio Network, says he feels that $7.25 an hour is a fair starting point for both employers and employees.

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