Washington Minimum Wage to Remain $8.55/Hour in 2010
Washington's minimum wage will remain $8.55 per hour in 2010, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced this week. Click here to view L&I's press release on the 2010 Washington minimum wage.
L&I recalculates the state’s minimum wage each year as required by Initiative 688, which requires that the minimum wage be increased for inflation annually according to any increases in the federal Consumer Price Index. This year, the CPI actually decreased by 1.9 percent. However, Initiative 688 does not allow L&I to decrease the minimum wage, so it will remain the same in 2010. Washington employers can continue to use the current minimum wage poster for at least one more year. Click here for more information on Washington's minimum wage from L&I.
As we reported last week, Oregon's minimum wage will also remain unchanged in 2010, at the rate of $8.40 per hour. A total of ten states have minimum wage rates tied to various cost of living measures: Washington, Oregon, Vermont, Ohio, Nevada, Montana, Missouri, Florida, Colorado, and Arizona.
Federal Minimum Wage Increases to $7.25 Effective July 24
Employers take note: the federal minimum wage increases to $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009. For more information, check out the Department of Labor's Fair Labor Standards Act site.
Of course, many states also have minimum wage laws, an where an employee is subject to both state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher minimum wage. Click here for the Department of Labor's handy list of minimum wages by state, effective January 1, 2009. (Note: the chart does not accurately reflect that Nevada's minimum wage will increase effective July 1, 2009 increase from $5.85 per hour to $6.55 per hour, while the minimum wage for employees not receiving health benefits will increase from $6.85 per hour to $7.55 per hour).
Need the Department of Labor's minimum wage posters? Here they are:
