Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said DWD “will review the complaint and determine next steps.”

“Governor Walker wants jobs in Wisconsin that pay two or three times the minimum wage,” Patrick said. “He is focused on finding ways to help employers create jobs that pay far more than the minimum wage or any other proposed minimum.”

The law allows the state to "consider the effect that an increase in the living wage might have on the economy of the state, including the effect of a living wage increase on job creation, retention, and expansion, on the availability of entry-level jobs, and on regional economic conditions within the state."

Among those who plan to file complaints Wednesday is Britany Ferguson, a 23-year-old mother of two from Milwaukee who said the $9 an hour she earns as a part-time motel housekeeper is not enough to put food on the table.

Ferguson, a high school graduate with some technical college under her belt, said she and her fiance — the father of her two children — live with their respective mothers because they can’t afford a place of their own. She doesn’t qualify for child-care assistance for her children, ages 3 and 6, so she works only weekends, Ferguson said.