Gubernatorial candidates discuss raising the minimum wage at May Day event in Milwaukee
May 1, 2026, 2:51 PM CT
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An event hosted by the “Living Wage Coalition” was held in Milwaukee on the morning of May Day 2026, as part of the effort to raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour.
The event was hosted by The Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization (MASH) and Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and featured three Democratic candidates for governor — State Sen. Kelda Roys, State Rep. Francesca Hong, and former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes. Per a press release, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley also supports raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour, but was “unable to attend.”
You can see what each of the candidates had to say at the event here.
Remarks from Kelda Roys:
Remarks from Francesca Hong:
Remarks from Mandela Barnes:
After the event, I spoke with the candidates.
Roys spoke about how she is the “lead author” on legislation to raise the minimum wage, saying, “I am the progressive who can not only win the election, but actually has a track record of delivering on important progressive issues.”
Barnes talked about his working class upbringing, and said that “when it comes to experience, that’s where I lead the pack.”
Several of the speakers at the event were in the food service and hospitality industry. An issue that has come up frequently in recent years pertaining to those kinds of roles is about proposals to eliminate taxes on tips. I asked the candidates about those proposals and here’s what they said.
Barnes: “Eliminating taxes on tips would go a long way to help working people. I do think that’s something we should consider.”
Roys: “I think (eliminating taxes on tips) is really a false promise. We don’t discriminate against people based on how they earn their money. If someone pays you in cash versus direct deposit, you shouldn’t be paying more or less in taxes because of it.”
Hong: “I oppose the policy to have no tax on tips. I think that it distracts us from increasing wages and abolishing a tipped minimum wage. I think it is a way that actually keeps some of our lowest income earners in a certain income bracket by not working toward fair wages, and it’s a revenue loss for the state.”
Tony Evers recently vetoed a bill on no tax on tips, saying it was because the GOP-passed bill included a measure that would sunset the tax in 2028. Evers has advocated for a permanent change. Roys voted against the bill, and Hong abstained, because she is a “tipped worker,” she said. Find more on that from the Wisconsin Examiner here.
More from our May Day coverage:
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Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he and the publication joined Civic Media, where he is currently a Contributing Editor. He’s written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 24 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.
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