ST. PAUL -- Minnesota House and Senate negotiators remained at a stalemate Thursday on raising the minimum wage.
Negotiators met for about five minutes Thursday, leaving with no progress.
Senators rejected a House proposal because it continues to contain a provision to automatically raise the minimum wage to match inflation. Senate leaders and negotiators have rejected that concept.
"I don't know what to tell you other than the offer is not going to be acceptable," Sen. David Tomassoni, D-Chisholm, told House negotiators.
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He said negotiations will be fruitful only if the House drops the inflation provision.
Negotiators did not know what impact a proposed constitutional amendment introduced Thursday would have on their work.
The proposed amendment by Democratic Sens. Ann Rest of New Hope and Tom Bakk of Cook would ask Minnesotans to vote in November to raise the minimum wage to $10 an hour and allow it to increase at the inflation rate.
The negotiators are considering raising the wage to $9.50 an hour, up from the current $6.15.
