Hospitality industry leader lays out objections to minimum wage deal

DFL leaders at the state legislature expect to pass a new minimum wage law later this week, after months of negotiations between the House and Senate over how high that wage should be and whether it should keep growing automatically.

The legislation unveiled yesterday will raise the minimum hourly wage for large employers -- in increments -- starting in August. It will hit $9.50 by 2016, though there are several exceptions in place for small companies and for teen workers. The bill will also automatically tie future minimum wage increases to inflation starting in 2018 -- but it would cap such increases to 2.5 percent.

One organization that has opposed a big increase in the minimum wage is Hospitality Minnesota, which represents restaurant and hotel owners. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Dan McElroy, who's President of Hospitality Minnesota. He's also a former state finance commissioner.