Washington Minimum Wage is $8.67 in 2011

December 3rd, 2010 Posted by Cara

Effective , 2011 the Washington minimum wage increases by 12 cents from $8.55 to $8.67 per hour. The ’s minimum will remain the in the year 2011, followed by Oregon at $8.50 per hour.

 

Every employer must prominently post an updated 2011 minimum wage poster.

 

Tipped employees in Washington are entitled to the full of $8.67 per hour because the state does not allow a tip credit.

 

The 1.4% is based on the nationwide for Urban and Clerical Workers in the year ending August 31, 2010. The increase was announced by Washington Bureau of Labor and Industry Judy Schurke after some legal debate, including an alternate opinion by the state Attorney General’s office.

 

This is the first increase in the since January 1, 2009. There was no in 2010 because the cost of living declined slightly due to the recession. 

 

Across the nation, nine states make adjustments to the minimum wage in January. Those states include Oregon, Vermont, Ohio, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Nevada, Florida and Missouri, in addition to Washington.

 

Many states exempt agricultural workers from the minimum wage, but Washington does not. However, in many cases agricultural workers are exempt from (more…)

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2010 Washington Minimum Wage is $8.55

December 2nd, 2009 Posted by Amelia

The Washington minimum wage will remain at $8.55 per hour in 2010, the same rate as in 2009. This marks the first year there has been no in the state since 1998. Despite this, the Washington remains the in the nation.

 

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries or L&I calculates the state wage each September under initiative 688, passed by voters in 1998. Under that law, the Washington wage has risen from $5.15 in 1998 to $8.55 in 2009.

 

Each year the increase is based on change in the Consumer Price Index or for and Clerical Workers during the 12 months ending on August 31.

 

For the 12 months ending August 31, 2009 the cost of living as measured by the CPI decreased 1.9%. While there is no provision under the law to reduce the , this means that there will be no increase.

 

A 5.9% increase in the CPI in 2008 led to an increase of 48 cents in the Washington minimum wage on , 2009, making the Washington minimum wage the current rate of $8.55 per hour.

 

The Washington minimum wage applies to most workers and most industries in the state. Unlike many other states, the minimum wage applies even to agricultural workers. In one of the few loopholes, youths who are 14 or 15 years old may be paid 85% of the state minimum wage, or $7.27 per hour. That rate is slightly higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 for workers of all ages.

 

Nine states in addition to Washington adjust their minimum each year for inflation. They are Oregon, Vermont, Ohio, Nevada, Montana, Missouri, Florida, Colorado and Arizona. Most of those states plan no minimum wage increase for 2010. In Florida, the state minimum wage will increase by

 

On the other hand, in Colorado the state minimum wage will decrease by 4 cents from $7.28 per hour to $7.24 per hour. This marks the first time in history that any state minimum wage has decreased.

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2009 Washington Minimum Wage is $8.55

January 19th, 2009 Posted by Derrick

The increased as of January 1, 2009, and the new rate is the highest in the nation. The new rate is also the highest that the of Washington has experienced since it linked the to the cost of living.

 

According to the Washington L&I, or Department of Labor and Industries, the Washington minimum went up to $8.55 an hour for 2009. Each September, the L&I recalculates the minimum based on the Consumer Price Index, or .

 

Any employers who have not updated their Washington minimum wage poster should do so ASAP. Employers are subject to sanctions, fines and penalties for not displaying updated posters.

 

Adjusting the minimum wage to the CPI is a result of an initiative approved by voters 10 years ago, in 1998, called Initiative 688. The state uses the CPI for and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W.

 

As most readers know, the CPI is a national gauge, marking the cost (more…)

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Washington Minimum Wage Increases to $8.55

October 10th, 2008 Posted by Derrick

The Washington state will to $8.55 per hour on , 2009. The state Department of Labor and Industries or L& I recalculates the each year in September as required by state Initiative 688, approved by voters in 1998.

 

The Washington state minimum wage is adjusted each year based on the federal Consumer Price Index for and Clerical Workers or -W during the 12 months ending on August 31. The is a national measure of the cost of goods and services required for daily life. During the 12-month period ending in August 2008, the increased a whopping 5.9%. For comparison, the increase in the prior year was 1.8%, which led to an increase of 14 cents per hour in the .

 

This 48-cent increase ensures that the Washington minimum wage (more…)

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Washington Minimum Wage Now $8.07

January 22nd, 2008 Posted by Amelia

On January 1, 2008, Washington increased its fourteen cents from $7.93 to $8.07 per hour. Washington’s wage is the in the United , and has been for seven consecutive years.

Tied for second place are California and Massachusetts, both with a January 1, 2008, state of $8.00 per hour. Oregon raised its minimum, also, to $7.93 per hour.

Initiative 688, enacted in 1998 established an annual cost-of-living increase to Washington’s state minimum wage. The increase is calculated using the () for and Clerical Workers, which monitors prices of food, shelter, medical care and .

Unlike many other states, Washington’s minimum wage law applies to almost every employer in the state. Exceptions to the law include only non-profit volunteers, newspaper carriers and some agricultural employees. Washington employers can, however, legally pay workers under 16 less than minimum wage. For instance, a 14 year-old worker can be paid $6.86 per hour in 2008, of 85% of the minimum wage.

Washington is also one of the few states that doesn’t allow credit for tips. In Washington, waiters, waitresses and other tipped employees must be paid the state minimum of $8.07 per hour. Washington’s law gives tipped workers the highest minimum wage in the United States.

The federal minimum wage is currently $5.85 per hour. Many states have their own minimum wages laws. If an employee is eligible for both federal and state minimum, that worker is entitled to whichever provides the greater benefit. In Washington, since the state minimum is higher than the federal rate, the employee is entitled to the state minimum wage of $8.07 per hour.

Whenever minimum wage laws change, both state and federal, Washington employers must update their labor law posters. Updated information can be obtained from www.laborlawcenter.com, but an employer can also enlist a labor law service. Every times a law changes, this service automatically provides the employer with an updated .

California, Massachusetts, Vermont, and eleven other states increased their state minimum wage on January 1, 2008, but more wage increases are slated for 2008.

On July 1, 2008, five states will raise their minimum wage rates. Michigan’s minimum will jump 25 cents from $7.15 to $7.40 per hour. Illinois will see a 25 cent rise as well, from $7.50 per hour to $7.75 per hour.

West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania will see substantial increases in their state minimum wages on July 1, 2008, too. Pennsylvania’s minimum will rise 90 cents from $6.25 per hour to $7.15 per hour. Both Kentucky and West Virginia will establish minimum wage raises of 70 cents. West Virginia’s rate will go from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour. Kentucky’s minimum will rise from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour.

Kentucky’s rise mirrors the federal minimum wage rate which will go from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour on July 24, 2008.

The year 2007 saw the first federal minimum wage increase in more than a decade under the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007.

On July 24, 2008, the second step of the Act’s system will go into effect and the federal minimum wage will increase from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour.

A number of states, such as Maryland, Indiana and Virginia, will increase their state minimum wage rates on the same day the federal minimum increase goes into effect. These states either mirror the federal rate, or tie their increases to timing of the raises for the federal minimum.

The District of Columbia ties its minimum wage to the federal wage, too, but with a difference. In D.C., the minimum wage is required to be at least $1.00 per hour greater than the federal minimum. On July 24, 2008, then, D.C.’s minimum will jump to $7.55 per hour.

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