The minimum wage for workers in Las Cruces, NM increased to $8.40 per hour on January 1, 2015. In December 2014 the City Council voted to push back future minimum wage increases. The rate will increase to $9.20 in January 2017, and to $10.10 in January 2019. Beginning in 2021, the Las Cruces minimum wage will be adjusted annually based on the cost of living, per the federal Consumer Price Index.
The measure passed by a 4-3 vote in December 2014 also requires the City Council to review the minimum wage in July of 2015, 2016 and 2018.
The Lax Cruces, NM minimum wage increase was a controversial measure. Originally the City Council passed the increase after being petitioned by pro-labor community groups. The original provision passed in September included wage increases in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
That measure met opposition from business leaders, who said they were disappointed to have limited representation in the hearing. Instead, they pressed for a compromise, and won. The City Council voted in December to push back the two later phases of the increase by a total of four years, to 2017 and 2019.
