With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, what’s the future of Virginia’s minimum wage?

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Millions of Virginians are back at work after Labor Day weekend, but how close are some of them to getting a raise?

Democrats in Virginia are continuing their push to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, but Republicans and Governor Glenn Youngkin are not on board.

“It’s just impossible for families to survive at those levels,” Delegate Rodney Willett (D-Henrico) told 8News about the current minimum wage in Virginia.

Willett says the current $12 per hour minimum wage isn’t enough for hardworking Virginians to pay for food, rent and more.

“People working at the wage level, what they are doing is they are working two jobs and if they are getting two minimum wage jobs, they may get close to a living wage, but otherwise, they are not even close,” Willett said.

However a minimum wage increase seems unlikely in the near future. Gov. Youngkin already vetoed two bills earlier this year which would have raised the Commonwealth’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026.

“Such a substantial increase will raise business operational costs,” said Youngkin about raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. “In response, businesses will raise prices, creating more inflation, and implement hiring freezes and layoffs, ultimately hurting the workers the proposal seeks to assist.”

Meanwhile, an existing Virginia law does require that the state’s minimum wage rise consistent with inflation, meaning some workers will see a small increase with the minimum wage rising to $12.41 per hour starting on Jan. 1.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRIC ABC 8News.