Washington state's minimum wage will rise to $9.19 per hour
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington state's minimum wage is increasing 15 cents to $9.19 per hour.
The Department of Labor & Industries said Friday the new rules will go into effect in January. Washington is already the state with the highest minimum wage in the country.
Washington voters approved a process to calculate the minimum wage in 1998, and the new increase reflects a rise in the Consumer Price Index. That has been driven upward recently due to gasoline prices.
Oregon has the next highest minimum wage, and its 2013 floor will be $8.95 per hour.
The Department of Labor & Industries said Friday the new rules will go into effect in January. Washington is already the state with the highest minimum wage in the country.
Washington voters approved a process to calculate the minimum wage in 1998, and the new increase reflects a rise in the Consumer Price Index. That has been driven upward recently due to gasoline prices.
Oregon has the next highest minimum wage, and its 2013 floor will be $8.95 per hour.
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Hey ma, did you hear we get to go to Hawaii now that I am making 15 cents more and hour. Oh wait that put me in the next higher tax bracket and my take home pay goes down 15 dollars a check.
Being an outsider, I suppose it's a lot more expensive in Oregon than Az. I think our MW is around $7.35
Hate to tell you, but the story was about Washington, not Oregon.
 @DrivingMsPattyÂ
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Not really. According to About.com Between 2005-2007 Arizona was number 29 at $47,750 and Oregon was 26 at $48,521. Now Washington was significantly higher number 11 but median was still only about $9,000 more at $56,049.
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But our minimum wage had started at the same time when Oregon's and Washingtonâs was already higher. Since all three states now are connected to the CPI (Arizona's apparently is $7.65) Arizona tool will increase it's wages it just not announced how much yet.
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Arizona also apparently allows a "tips" exception and wants to add a minors exception.
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I personally think a minimum wage is a minimum wage and $4.65 is less than I made in minimum 15 years ago.
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@Repoman - last time I was paid minimum was in the 70's.. I think I made $1.65 or 1.45, somthing like that.
So teenagers earning minimum wage will save up for those Lebron sneekers all that much faster :)
I wonder how many minimum wage jobs will be eradicated for each cent of that fifteen cent rise in the minimum wage?
 @jpkÂ
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Few to none although you may pay more for your McRibb.
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I don't eat in Washington State though! And I don't eat anything with a Mc in front of it!
next up, will social security see a raise...NO!
Yay! "Free" money!
@JTesla I don't understand how it can be free money when people actually work for it?
 @noneofyourbizzness Are people working 15 cents harder an hour?
 @JTeslaÂ
Yeah "cost of living" increase (because the CPI does not include "volatile" things like energy and food).
 @JTesla Behind every RAT trap..... there's free CHEESE......