On Wednesday night, Cleveland City Council approved legislation to put a minimum wage increase on the ballot during a special election on May 2, 2017.
The increase would raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour and if it passes, would begin the following January.
The decision comes after the Service Employees International Union launched a petition drive to raise the minimum wage in Cleveland to $15 an hour, which would have been an 85 percent increase from the current statewide $8.10 an hour.
While the union pressed for $15 an hour by January 1, 2017, majority fo the council members rejected the proposal. They revised their proposal to change the minimum wage in the city to $12 an hour, followed by an $1 annual increase over the next three years to reach $15.
Cleveland resident will vote on the proposal May 2, 2017.
