Washington Enacts 1st $9 State Minimum Wage
As 2012 began on Sunday, Washington became the first US state to raise its minimum wage above $9, implementing an inflation-based raise from $8.67 a year ago to $9.44. Washington is one of ten states that adjust minimum wage to keep in line with inflation, although Missouri decided not to adjust this year and Nevada do not make adjustments until midyear. As of July 1st, the federal minimum wage has been set at $7.25, but a number of states mandate a higher figure.
The other seven states raising their minimum wage on Sunday were Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Oregon and Vermont. While Washington has the highest state set minimum pay, San Francisco has the highest municipal wage limit, having increased it from $9.92 to $10.24. The California state minimum wage is just $8.00, but the city of San Francisco passed a measure in 2003 that allowed the city to set its own, based on a regional consumer price index. Since 2004, when the law took effect, the city's minimum hourly wage has increased more than 20 percent from $8.50 at the time.
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