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By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Burqueños workers making minimum wage have something to be excited about – if they have patience – after the Albuquerque City Council approved a $3 increase to the city’s minimum wage Monday night after a packed and at times raucous meeting that drew so many people that some were forced to watch from the lobby.
After a lengthy evening of tense debate and passionate public comment, councilors approved O-26-33 on a 5-4 vote. Councilors Brook Bassan, Renée Grout, Dan Lewis and Vice President Dan Champine voted against the measure, which will raise the city’s minimum wage from $12 to $15 an hour. About 70 people addressed the council during the meeting. Roughly 40 supporters argued that wages have failed to keep pace with rising rents and inflation, while about 30 opponents, including local small-business owners and industry representatives, warned that a 25% wage increase could place significant strain on local businesses and force them to raise prices.
In an effort to find a middle ground between workers and local businesses, councilors adopted several amendments to soften the proposal’s impact. Instead of jumping directly to $15 an hour, the minimum wage will increase gradually, rising to $13 in 2027, $14 in 2028 and $15 in 2029. Councilors also removed a provision that would have tied future cost-of-living increases to federal fair market rent data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, opting instead to continue using the Consumer Price Index. They also adjusted the tipped minimum wage to avoid an unintended pay cut during the phase-in period, setting it at 55.5% of the base minimum wage in 2027, 52% in 2028 and 50% in 2029. In a separate amendment, councilors required the city to apply a similar standard to its own workforce by guaranteeing annual pay increases for city employees earning $80,000 or less that match the percentage increase in the minimum wage.
Tensions at the meeting boiled over during public comment, resulting in security removing two people from the chambers and forcing Council President Klarissa Peña to call recesses to restore order. Security first asked one person to leave after they disrupted proceedings while ridiculing another speaker. A second, more disruptive incident followed when a man used his time to insult audience members who opposed the ordinance, calling them “balding men and botoxed women.” He then read aloud an email obtained through IPRA that he said was sent by Councilor Dan Lewis to lobbyists, accusing Lewis of colluding with a representative from the Apartment Association of New Mexico and claiming Peña’s campaign was funded by the restaurant association. After receiving a second warning, security forcefully escorted him out of the chambers. Councilor Stephanie Telles intervened and persuaded him to leave peacefully rather than be arrested.
The approved ordinance now heads to Mayor Tim Keller’s desk, where he can sign it into law or veto it. Burqueños can contact the mayor by phone at (505) 768-3000 or email to urge him to approve or veto the measure. If he takes no action, the ordinance will automatically become law after a set period. If signed, the first wage increase will take effect in January 2027, giving businesses and workers time to prepare.