NEWS: Minimum wage rising in 20 states Staff report The minimum wage increased in 20 states and the District of Columbia on New Years Day due to laws and automatic adjustments. The increase will be automatic in nine states, where an adjustment is made to keep the minimum wage in line with inflation. In 11 states and in D.C., legislative action or voter-approved referenda led to the hike. Kentucky is among 14 states where the minimum wage rate will remain the same as the federal rate at $7.25 an hour, though the rate will rise in the city of Louisville. The Louisville Metro Council and Mayor Greg Fischer, who were at odds over increasing the minimum wage, reached an agreement in mid-December with the council voting to increase the minimum wage in Jefferson County to $9 an hour gradually over three years. Nationwide, the hikes range from 12 cents in Florida to $1.25 in South Dakota. The state of Washington will see the biggest increase at $9.47, with Oregon, Vermont and Connecticut following, The Washington Post reported. Of the 11 states where legislative or voter action led to the increase, five - Alaska, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Vermont - along with D.C. will also implement inflation indexing, raising the number of states that tie future minimum wage rate increases to inflation to 15. The hikes will directly affect nearly 2.3 million workers who currently earn less per hour than the new minimum wage. Economists estimate an additional 900,000 people will see indirect effects as employers adjust their pay scales. The Washington Post contributed to this report.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 18:30:01 +0000
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