'The voters spoke': Omaha may follow Lincoln in defying recent Nebraska minimum wage law

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:02]SHE HIT SALES HEAD ON.

[00:00:05]SOON, OMAHA CITY COUNCIL LEADERS WILL CONSIDER THE CITY’S MINIMUM WAGE RULES PASSED WITH THOSE RULES, WITH THOSE PASSED BY VOTERS IN 2022.

[00:00:14]IT’S A MOVE RECENTLY TAKEN UP BY THE LINCOLN CITY COUNCIL AS KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S JOHN GREENWALD REPORTS, IT WOULD SHOW RESISTANCE TO THE LAW CHANGES MADE THIS YEAR BY THE LEGISLATURE.

[00:00:27]OMAHA WILL SOON CONSIDER SPLITTING ITS MINIMUM WAGE RULES FROM THE REST OF THE STATES, FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF LINCOLN.

[00:00:35]I SUPPORT WHAT LINCOLN DID, AND I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO BRINGING THAT INTO THE CITY OF OMAHA FOR DISCUSSION AND HOPING WE GET THE VOTES TO PASS IT, BECAUSE THE VOTERS SPOKE CRYSTAL CLEARLY, LINCOLN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JAMES MICHAEL BOWERS INTRODUCED THE ORDINANCE, WHICH PASSED 6 TO 1.

[00:00:53]IT’S SUPPOSED TO BUCK THE LIMITS, PUT ON THE MINIMUM WAGE BY STATE SENATOR JANE RAYBOULD.

[00:00:59]SHELBY 258, PASSED THIS YEAR, WHICH CREATED A SEPARATE AND LOWER WAGE FOR 14 AND 15 YEAR OLDS AND CHANGED THE ANNUAL GROWTH FROM AN INFLATION BASED PERCENTAGE TO A CAPPED 1.75% IN MOST HOUSEHOLD.

[00:01:11]BOTH PARENTS WORK OUTSIDE THE HOME, AND THEY’RE STRUGGLING TO PAY FOR CHILD CARE.

[00:01:17]ANY LABOR INCREASES HAVE TO BE PASSED ON TO THOSE FAMILIES, BOWERS SAYS HIS ORDINANCE WAS ABOUT LISTENING TO THE ELECTORATE.

[00:01:25]IT’S BIZARRE TO ME THAT WE ARE ONLY GOING TO TRUST VOTERS WHEN THEY GIVE US POWER AND THEY PUT US INTO OFFICE, NEBRASKA ATTORNEY GENERAL MIKE HILGERS POURED COLD WATER ON THE ORDINANCE, WHICH IS SET TO GO INTO EFFECT ON JULY 18TH, THE SAME DAY AS SB 258.

[00:01:42]HILGERS SAYS CITIES, DESPITE HOME RULE LAWS, CAN’T GO BEYOND THE STATE’S MINIMUM WAGE, AND THAT DOING SO COULD HARM THE BALANCE OF POWER IN GOVERNMENT.

[00:01:51]AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN, I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF LINCOLN’S WHAT I BELIEVE IS CLEARLY UNLAWFUL CITY ORDINANCE.

[00:01:57]IF THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO LITIGATION, BOWERS SAYS THE CITY COUNCIL’S CHOICE IS WELL WITHIN THE LAW.

[00:02:03]THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S LEGAL OPINION IS JUST THAT.

[00:02:06]IT’S AN OPINION.

[00:02:06]THE OMAHA CITY COUNCIL IS EXPECTED T