Latinos in Minnesota gaining in minimum wage fight
August 21, 2007
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A report shows that the proportion of foreign-born Latinos at the lowest end of the wage scale in the United States has fallen by 6 percent over the past decade.
The Pew Hispanic Center said in 2005, foreign-born Latino workers accounted for 36 percent of workers earning less than $8.50 an hour compared with 42 percent in 1995.
The findings have special significance for Minnesota, which has a growing immigrant population.
Experts said the situation in Minnesota may be even better than the study suggests because of the kinds of jobs available and the number of organizations working to support immigrants.
University of Minnesota immigration expert Katherine Fennelly said a lot of Latinos in Minnesota work in construction and food processing, jobs that pay well over the minimum wage.
