President Obama headed to Michigan to discuss raising the national minimum wage

A proposed raise to the national minimum wage will be the focal point of President Barack Obama’s trip to Ann Arbor this week.

President Obama is scheduled to deliver remarks regarding the possible hike during his speech at the University of Michigan’s Intramural Sports Building Wednesday afternoon. No tickets will be made available for the general public, but students can purchase tickets beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday at the Michigan Union Ticket Office.

During President Obama’s visit to Connecticut last Thursday, Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed a bill to raise his state’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2017. If all goes as planned, Connecticut would then have the highest wage rate in the country. In the meantime, the bill will increase the minimum hourly wage to $9.15 in January, and $9.60 in January 2016.

The current national minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Michigan is one of 20 states with a minimum wage of $7.40 an hour.