Keep Colorado Working
Plan to Defeat
Initiative 101
in the Fall 2016
Colorado Election
1
Current Minimum Wage Facts
 In 2006, minimum wage
was placed in the
Colorado Constitution
$8.31/hr
Current Colorado Minimum Wage
 Set to increase annually
according to inflation –
indexed to CPI for
Denver/Boulder/Greeley
61% Increase
Colorado Minimum Wage has
increased since 2006
(2006=$5.15 to 2016=$8.31)
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2
Proposed Initiative 101
CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT
Only altered via future
Constitutional Amendment
INCREASE 44%
Increases Colorado Minimum Wage
by 44%
 Petitions are being
circulated by Colorado
Families for a Fair
Wage
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3
NO Compromise
COMPROMISE
The answer from labor unions was “NO”
=X
 Proponents said their eventual goal is to see
minimum wage at $15/hour.
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Initiative 101 Increases
$8.31/hr
2016
$10.20/hr
2018
$9.30/hr
2017
$12.00/hr
2020
$11.10/hr
2019
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5
Why is defeating
Initiative 101
important to YOU?
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6
Impacts of Minimum Wage
Increase
Small businesses,
including family-owned
businesses, will be hit the
hardest.
HURTS SMALL
BUSINESS
They will be forced to:
 Cut jobs
 Reduce hours
 Layoff hourly
employees
 React to wage
compression
SNAPSHOT:
Colorado small businesses
dominate the state’s economy
+ 97.6% of CO employers
+ 563,917 locations
+ 991,542 employees
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Impacts of Minimum Wage
Increase
REDUCED
BUYING POWER
 Reduced buying
power for all
Coloradans
 One size fits all
ONE SIZE ≠
FIT ALL
approach for a
diverse state—rural
communities are hit
disproportionally
harder
 Does NOT position
≠ COMPETITIVE
Colorado as a
competitive state
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Impacts of Minimum Wage
Increase
REAL LIFE
EXAMPLE
“Jill”
Small Business Owner in Denver
Restaurant for 30 years
85 employees (avg 12-15 years)
$30-35/hr servers and $18-22/hr
bussers
Initiative 101 will force her to:
+ lay off 15 employees
+ raise prices
+ reduce customer service
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9
Studies on Impact Of Minimum
Wage Hikes
500,000
JOBS LOST
NATIONALLY
AT $10.10/hr
90,000 JOBS
LOST IN
COLORADO
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10
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Massive Job Loss
Initiative 101 would kill
90,000 Colorado jobs by 2022.
90,000 JOBS
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Massive Job Loss
Combined populations of:
+ Breckenridge
+ Burlington
+ Durango
+ Estes Park
+ Glenwood Springs
+ Golden
+ La Junta
+ Superior
+ Trinidad
Initiative 101 would
kill 90,000 Colorado
jobs by 2022.
12
12
90,721
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Massive Wage Loss
$3.9 BILLION
in reduced Colorado wages by 2022
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13
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Impact on Young Workers
MASSIVE LOSS
in entry-level jobs and training
opportunities for young workers
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Defeating Initiative 101
 Conducted research
 Developing broad-based
coalition
 Building financial support
to ensure messages
saturate among
persuadable voters
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Research: Overall opinion
of measure
Late June 2016
*Asked at beginning of survey*
 If the general election was held
today and you had to make a
choice, would you vote yes, in favor
of, or no, against this ballot
initiative to increase the minimum
wage?
Noagainst
44%
Yes-in
favor
53%
Undecided
3%
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Research: Top “No”
Arguments
Late June 2016
Small businesses will be
hardest hit
Likely to hurt the very people
it is meant to help
Will kill 90,000 Colorado jobs
by 2022
One-size-fits-all approach is
unreasonable and unfair
Will eliminate entry-level jobs
and reduce valuable training
opportunities
This measure goes too far
17
Research: Follow-up Opinion
Late June 2016
BEFORE MESSAGING
Noagainst
44%
Undecided
3%
AFTER MESSAGING
Yes-in
favor
53%
Noagainst
52%
*Asked after arguments
both for and against
the measure*
18
Yes-in
favor
46%
Undecided
3%
Defeating Unreasonable
Minimum Wage Hikes
Colorado as National Forerunner
18 out of 20
70%
Minimum Wage Ballot
Initiatives have won
Passed by nearly 70% in Alaska
and Illinois in 2014
None of the successful recent minimum wage ballot
measures have been as radical as Colorado’s proposal
Colorado can be the first to beat back the
unions on minimum wage
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We Need Your Help!
 Officially oppose
OFFICIALLY
OPPOSE
Initiative 101 and the
proposed minimum
wage increase
 Contribute to Keep
CONTRIBUTE
Colorado Working as
an organization, as an
individual company,
or franchise
SHARE STORIES
 Share your stories
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Do you really think it
will stop here?
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We can and
must defeat
initiative 101
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