• Minimum wage rates may climb this year, By Paul Davidson, February 2, 2012, USA Today: “At least 17 states recently raised the minimum wage or are considering doing so in 2012, the most in at least six years. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney broke with GOP conservatives this week, renewing his call for automatic federal minimum wage increases to keep up with inflation. President Obama has backed raising the U.S. basic wage from its current $7.25 an hour to $9.50 and indexing future automatic increases to inflation. Many economists cite a growing divide between rich and poor. The federal minimum wage rate applies everywhere except in states that set higher minimum rates…”
• Washington state bills targeting minimum wage die, By Jonathan Kaminsky (AP), January 31, 2012, Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “Washington state lawmakers have shelved a series of bills that would lower wages at the bottom of the income scale in an effort to spur private-sector hiring.  The five Republican-sponsored bills failed to come up for a House committee vote Tuesday ahead of a key deadline.  Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee, said his goal in sponsoring the bills was to encourage employers to hire more workers, particularly in struggling areas of eastern Washington. ‘The little guys are what’s getting hurt,’ said Condotta. ‘They can’t push the prices up any more. They can’t complete.’ Among the bills was one to implement a tip-credit allowing restaurant owners to pay waiters and other tipped employees less than the minimum wage…”

With focus on income inequality, Albany bill will seek $8.50 minimum wage, By John Eligon, January 29, 2012, New York Times: “The Occupy Wall Street encampment at Zuccotti Park is no more, but the focus it brought to income inequality is having an impact in Albany and beyond. The Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, plans to introduce a bill on Monday to raise the state’s minimum wage to $8.50 an hour, a 17 percent increase. The bill also calls for the minimum wage to be adjusted each year for inflation. Mr. Silver’s action follows similar steps by lawmakers across the country: Delaware recently passed a minimum wage increase, and raises are being considered in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri and New Jersey…”

Hawaii minimum wage could rise to $8.14 in January, Associated Press, January 25, 2012, CBS News: “A bill moving through the state Legislature could increase Hawaii’s minimum wage for the first time since 2007, but opinions are mixed as to whether elevating the wage floor would help or hinder Hawaii’s economic recovery. According to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the current $7.25 minimum wage is worth 84 cents less than when it was set five years ago due to inflation. A minimum wage increase would help Hawaii workers recover lost purchasing power and encourage more spending that can contribute to the state’s economic recovery, the Labor Department suggests. That’s not the way the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii sees it, however…”

• Minimum wage milestone: Why Washington State surpassed $9 an hour, By Aaron Lester, January 2, 2012, Christian Science Monitor: “Low-wage earners have a little more to celebrate this new year, at least in eight states. In those states, 2012 means a higher minimum wage, under laws that peg the wage floor to inflation. The increase makes Washington the first state to set its minimum wage higher than $9 an hour. Why Washington? Why now? Simple. Washington pegs its minimum wage to the consumer price index, says Paul Sonn of the National Employment Law Project. That means whenever the cost of living increases, so does the minimum wage there  Nine other states do the same. (One of them, Missouri, opted for no change this year, and Nevada’s increase won’t kick in until midyear, leaving eight states where the minimum wage rose as of Jan. 1.) But Washington has been using that CPI-based formula since 2001, longer than any other state, and that’s why its hourly wage is highest…”
• Raising the minimum wage: Whom does it help?, By Martin Kaste, January 3, 2012, National Public Radio: “For some of America’s lowest-paid workers, the new year means a pay raise. Some states set their own minimum wages, above the federal rate of $7.25 an hour, and that rekindles an old debate over whether minimum wages make sense - especially at a time of high unemployment. Like several other states, Washington state’s minimum wage is indexed to the cost of living. This year, the formula has raised the statewide minimum from $8.67 to $9.04 an hour, making it the nation’s highest statewide rate…”

Wage floor is increasing in 8 states in new year, By Catherine Rampell, December 23, 2011, New York Times: “Eight states will ring in the New Year with a higher minimum wage, under state laws that require wage floors to keep apace with inflation. San Francisco, one of the few cities that sets its own minimum wage above the federal level, is also raising wages for the lowest-paid workers in the new year. It will become the first big city in the country to require companies to pay their workers more than $10 an hour. The minimum wage increases in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington will be 28 cents to 37 cents an hour, according to the National Employment Law Project. That is an extra $582 to $770 a year for a full-time minimum wage worker, and resets these states’ minimum wages to $7.64 to $9.04 an hour…”

Florida minimum wage inches up, By Tim Engstrom, December 18, 2011, News-Press: “Florida’s lowest-paid workers will get a raise on Jan. 1 with an increased Florida minimum wage, but local employers say most workers - except tipped employees like restaurant servers - won’t notice because they already earn more. Florida’s minimum hourly wage will jump 4.9 percent to $7.67 an hour. That becomes an extra $14.40 for a 40-hour week for a total gross pay of $306.80 for the week. That adds up to annual pay of $15,953.60. The minimum hourly wage for tipped employees jumps to $4.65…”

SF becomes first US city to top $10 minimum wage, By Beth Duff-Brown (AP), December 12, 2011, San Francisco Chronicle: “David Frias works two minimum-wage jobs to squeak by in one of the most expensive cities in America. Come New Year’s Day, he’ll have a few more coins in his pocket as San Francisco makes history by becoming the first city in the nation to scale a $10 minimum wage. The city’s hourly wage for its lowest-paid workers will hit $10.24, more than $2 above the California minimum wage and nearly $3 more than the working wage set by the federal government. It won’t put much more in Frias’ wallet. But it gives him a sense of moving on up…”

State minimum wage rates to go up with inflation in 2012, By Pamela M. Prah, October 14, 2011, Stateline.org: “Increases in the minimum wage often involve protracted political battles, but no so for 10 states that will increase their rates in 2012. That’s because these states tie annual increases in their minimums to increases in the cost of living. The minimum wage will increase by 28 cents next year in Colorado; 30 cents in Montana, Ohio and Oregon; and 37 cents in Washington State. Other states that have laws requiring their minimum wages be adjusted annually are Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Nevada and Vermont. Announcements regarding rate increases in those states are still to come. Nationwide, 18 states and Washington, D.C. have minimum wage rates that are higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, according to U.S. Labor Department data. Washington State has the highest hourly rate at $8.67, which will go to $9.04 next year when the new rate goes into effect…”

Minimum wage to rise, By Ilene Aleshire, September 16, 2011, Eugene Register-Guard: “Oregon’s minimum wage will go up 30 cents per hour, to $8.80, next year, state Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian announced Thursday. The increase mirrors a 3.77 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index since August 2010, Avakian said. ‘Safeguarding the wages of low-income workers is especially critical in a tough economy,’ Avakian said in a statement. ‘Oregon’s economy will not rebound if we allow 144,538 minimum wage earners to fall behind inflation.’ Oregon’s current minimum wage is the second-highest among all 50 states, behind only to Washington state’s $8.67, according to the nonpartisan Oregon Center for Public Policy. Washington will announce its 2012 minimum wage on Sept. 30, Avakian said…”

N.H. fights over minimum wage, By Michael McCord, June 20, 2011, SeacoastOnline: “Gov. John Lynch’s recent veto of a House bill to repeal the state’s minimum wage law created a unique ideological role reversal. Republican House Speaker William O’Brien defended the bill by saying the state should follow federal minimum wage guidelines and the four-term Democratic governor took a state’s rights stand, saying the state should keep its options open…”

Lynch vetoes bill eliminating state minimum wage law, By Garry Rayno, June 9, 2011, Union Leader: “Gov. John Lynch Thursday vetoed a bill doing away with the state’s minimum wage law which instead tied it to the federal law. In his veto message, Lynch said by repealing the state law, New Hampshire would be ‘effectively ceding state control and authority to the federal government.’ House Bill 133 passed both the House and Senate by more than enough votes to override the governor’s veto. Lynch said the bill would make New Hampshire one of only a handful of states completely deferring to the federal government and not establishing their own minimum wage…”

New study: You can’t live on minimum wage, By L.L. Brasier, May 30, 2011, Detroit Free Press: “Cameo Thomas of Jackson works two jobs as a nursing home aide to support her 4-year-old twin sons. One job pays $9.50 an hour, the other $13.05. Sometimes she works 60 hours a week to make ends meet — hard physical labor, most of it on her feet. ‘Sometimes I get off work and think, ‘Man, I’m going to need a new pair of shoes,” the 23-year-old said. Working harder and longer may not be enough to support a family in Michigan, particularly for employees in low-paying jobs such as retail sales, clerical work and home health care, according to a new study released today…”

Help wanted: Jobs for the disabled, series homepage, Columbus Dispatch: “Thousands of adults with Down syndrome, autism and other developmental disabilities work in Ohio at jobs that pay less money than a teen-age babysitter earns. Some say the low pay is immoral; others view the federal law as a godsend…”

House rejects minimum wage hike, By Rebekah Metzler, May 25, 2011, Morning Sentinel: “The Maine House voted 77-69 along party lines Tuesday to reject a proposal to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $8 an hour over the next two years. The vote marked a change from recent years, when Democratic majorities in the Legislature routinely approved increases. Republican lawmakers, now in the majority, argued Tuesday that an increase would serve as a mandate that harms businesses. Democrats said struggling low-wage workers could use the extra $10 a week to buy necessities…”

Minimum wage debate gains momentum in Md., By Lorraine Mirabella, April 10, 2011, Baltimore Sun: “Bridget Highkin works as hard now as she did two years ago. But then she brought home $800 a week from her waitressing job and today she’s lucky to clear $300. For now - until she completes a part-time nursing program and can find a job as a nurse - financial relief for her family hinges on a proposal to increase Maryland’s hourly minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.75 over three years. A few more dollars an hour would allow her to stop receiving assistance for day care and food, Highkin says. ‘I live just under paycheck to paycheck,’ said Highkin, 25, who works at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Bel Air and is a single mother of two. ‘At the end of each week, I’m scraping together my last pennies in hopes that the next week I can do it again.’ Proponents of the minimum wage increase see momentum growing in its favor. Though proposed legislation has gone nowhere in the General Assembly session that ends Monday, backers say they have built support for another try next year. They also say low wages are dragging down not only individuals and their families but the broader economic recovery…”

Wage for Ind. servers among the lowest in the US, By Dana Hunsinger Benbow, April 8, 2011, Indianapolis Star: “Customers ask for ice water with lemon. And then more lemons. Oh, yes. Some sugar, too, please. They ask to split a meal - half the sandwich with mayonnaise and tomato, the other with mustard and onion. Make that a Caesar salad on one plate and fries, no salt, on the other. When it’s all said and done and the meal is over, waiter Thomas Ievoli said he’s at his tipping point. Unfortunately, his customers aren’t. ‘People are expecting more service and paying less for it,’ said Ievoli, a server at Old Pointe Tavern and a bartender at Lockerbie Pub. ‘They do all kinds of special requests. They will sit there forever. They special-order and then tip you 10 percent - if not less.’ In the economic downturn, lower tips have made it tough for waiters and bartenders to survive. In Indiana, it’s especially tough because it, along with 17 other states, has the lowest minimum wage for people who depend on tips in the nation: the federal standard of $2.13 an hour. While the federal minimum wage has steadily increased over the years to $7.25 an hour, the $2.13 mark for tipped employees has remained in place since 1991…”

• Texas leads nation in minimum wage workers, By Steve Clark, March 28, 2011, Brownsville Herald: “If there’s anything faintly resembling good news in a just-released report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it’s that Texas’ share of hourly workers at or below minimum wage among U.S. states fell from 14.3 percent in 2009 to 9.5 percent in 2010. This just barely qualifies as a positive, however, since the number of Texas hourly workers at or below the prevailing federal minimum wage still increased by 76,000 over 2009. At 9.5 percent, Texas ties with Mississippi in terms of U.S. states with the highest proportion of hourly-paid workers earning at or below federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour. Texas and Mississippi take top honors, therefore, in terms of having the lowest paid workers among all 50 states and the District of Columbia. To be fair, low wages are partly a function of lower cost of living. In Cameron County and the Rio Grande Valley, low wages and low cost of living - by some measures - go hand in hand, and are both a blessing and a curse in the view of economic development officials…”
• Lone Star State ties Mississippi in low pay count, By Patrick Danner, March 28, 2011, Houston Chronicle: “Texas tied with Mississippi for states having the highest percentage of hourly paid workers earning the minimum wage or less. Some 550,000 Texans, or 9.5 percent of hourly paid workers, made the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less last year. That’s up 76,000 workers, or 16 percent, from 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported…”

• Minimum wage earners in 7 states getting raises, By Kristen Wyatt (AP), December 30, 2010, Washington Post: “It will be a happier New Year for nearly 650,000 workers earning minimum wage. They’re getting small raises in seven states that tie their salaries to the cost of living. The minimum wages in those states will go up between 9 cents and 12 cents an hour Saturday because their consumer price indexes rose in 2010. The extra pennies can’t come soon enough for Joe Martinez of Denver, who works odd jobs such as lawn maintenance for minimum wage. In Colorado, the wage is rising 11 cents, from the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour to $7.36 an hour. ‘The prices of everything are going up - food, rent, electricity,’ Martinez, 55, said on his lunch break Wednesday. ‘I know it’s not a lot of money, but any extra money will help, you know?’ Poverty advocates say the rising minimum wages shouldn’t be seen as raises, just adjustments to keep the working poor at the same level as prices of goods rise…”
• Minimum wage up to $7.40 in Ohio, By James Pilcher, January 3, 2011, Cincinnati Enquirer: “Workers earning minimum wage in Ohio are getting a New Year’s bump - a 10-cent-an hour raise. Because voters in 2006 approved linking the state’s minimum wage to inflation, Ohio’s minimum wage stands at $7.40 an hour as of Jan. 1, compared to the federal rate of $7.25 an hour. The new hourly wage will affect nearly 270,000 Ohioans in jobs such as restaurant, retail and housekeeping work, based on estimates by the Cleveland-based progressive think tank Policy Matters Ohio. But some business experts and economists worry that the pay hike comes at a potentially sensitive time, as state and national economies are sputtering to recover from the recession…”

Minimum wage increase to have little impact, By David Young, December 13, 2010, The Coloradoan: “Servers and minimum wage workers are set to get a slight raise come the first of the year. Colorado’s minimum wage is set to increase 12 cents starting in 2011 bringing the new minimum wage to $7.36. The minimum tipped employee wage will increase to $4.34 from $4.22. The increase is likely to have little impact on employees or employers according to experts. In accordance with the Colorado Constitution, the state’s minimum wage must be adjusted annually for inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index used for the state. Federal minimum wage is currently lower than Colorado’s at $7.25 per hour. Federal tipped minimum wage is currently $2.13 per hour. Martin Shields, CSU Regional economist, said that the increase is not much of an impact on the bottom line. The increase amounts to $4.80 in a 40 hour work week…”

Wage laws squeeze South Africa’s poor, By Celia W. Dugger, September 26, 2010, New York Times: “The sheriff arrived at the factory here to shut it down, part of a national enforcement drive against clothing manufacturers who violate the minimum wage. But women working on the factory floor - the supposed beneficiaries of the crackdown - clambered atop cutting tables and ironing boards to raise anguished cries against it. ‘Why? Why?’ shouted Nokuthula Masango, 25, after the authorities carted away bolts of gaily colored fabric. She made just $36 a week, $21 less than the minimum wage, but needed the meager pay to help support a large extended family that includes her five unemployed siblings and their children. The women’s spontaneous protest is just one sign of how acute South Africa’s long-running unemployment crisis has become. With their own industry in ruinous decline, the victim of low-wage competition from China, and too few unskilled jobs being created in South Africa, the women feared being out of work more than getting stuck in poorly paid jobs. In the 16 years since the end of apartheid, South Africa has followed the prescriptions of the West, opening its market-based economy to trade, while keeping inflation and public debt in check. It has won praise for its efforts, and the economy has grown, but not nearly fast enough to end an intractable unemployment crisis…”

Jobless Michigan teens can thank the minimum wage hike, By Michael Saltsman, July 21, 2010, Detroit News: “Teens have it pretty tough these days. From bullies and standardized tests to peer pressure and Facebook fights, modernity is adding stress to every aspect of the lives of young adults. This summer, you can add the death of the entry-level job to that list of woes. Young adults are facing unprecedented unemployment rates — and the figures for dropouts and minorities are even more staggering. No matter how you slice it, the numbers are bad. The unemployment rate for Michigan teens is averaging over 26 percent — more than one in four are looking for work and unable to find it. Vulnerable groups like high school dropouts and minorities have been hit especially hard. Dropouts between the age of 16 and 24 were dealing with 33 percent unemployment in April. African-American dropouts in the same age group suffered an eye-popping 60 percent unemployment…”

Minimum wage goes to $8.25 today, By John R. Pulliam, July 1, 2010, Galesburg Register-Mail: “Workers who are paid minimum wage in Illinois received a 25 cents per hour raise, from $8 to $8.25, effective today. The increase is the fourth since then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed legislation when the minimum wage was $6.50 an hour. On July 1, 2007, the wage went to $7.50, with 25 cents per hour increases in 2008, 2009 and today. Many politicians and business leaders contend that the relatively high minimum wage in Illinois causes businesses to shy away from the state. The only states with higher minimum wages than Illinois are Pennsylvania, $9.35; Washington, $8.55 and Oregon, $8.40. Connecticut and the District of Columbia both have $8.25 an hour minimum wages. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour…”

Teens facing a tough labor market this summer, By Karen Herzog, June 3, 2010, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Young people are being squeezed out of summer jobs, and seasonal employers will have to do more with less, as a dramatically increased minimum wage that went into effect last year affects summer hiring for the first time. Wisconsin’s minimum wage increased for the first time in three years last July 24, from $5.90 an hour to $7.25 an hour for minors, and from $6.50 to $7.25 for adults. The biggest hit was to the state’s agricultural sector, including produce farms that hire kids to help guide suburbanites through strawberry patches. Though an agricultural exemption previously allowed farms to pay minors $4.25 per hour, all farm employees - regardless of age - now must be paid at least $7.25 an hour. Tween and young teen workers used to be bargain employees for farms, which in turn taught them how to be good workers. But the disappearance of the agricultural exemption is shifting more of those jobs to older teens who require less supervision…”

• Freeze over, minimum wage up by $26 a week, By Ben Schneiders and Misha Schubert, June 4, 2010, The Age: “More than 1.4 million low-paid workers will receive their biggest pay rise in many years after the first decision by the Rudd government’s new workplace tribunal in a move attacked by employers as ‘excessive’ and ‘irresponsible’. Employers warned of a threat to jobs and said it would add $2.5 billion to the small business wages bill after the decision to lift award-reliant workers’ wages from July 1 by $26 a week to $569.90 a week or $15 an hour. The decision - $1 a week less than the ACTU’s claim - comes after minimum wages were controversially frozen last year in the final ruling of the Fair Pay Commission, the body set up by the Howard government…”
• Opinion split over minimum wage rise, June 4, 2010, ABC News: “Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has dismissed concerns that Thursday’s decision to increase the minimum wage will put pressure on inflation and employment growth. Fair Work Australia has granted Australia’s lowest paid workers a wage increase of $26 a week, bringing the minimum weekly wage to almost $570. But business groups are furious, saying the increase is risky, irresponsible, unjustified and will cost jobs. Ms Gillard says the pay rise will give low-paid workers a fairer share of the benefits of Australia’s economic recovery…”

• Rudd government backs pay rise for 1.4m low-paid workers, By Ewin Hannan, May 18, 2010, The Australian: “Canberra is backing an above-inflation wage rise this year for the nation’s 1.4 million low-paid workers, prompting employers to warn they will be forced to shed jobs and cut hours if the position is backed by the wages umpire. As unions renewed their push for a $27-a-week increase in the minimum wage, the government said increases in minimum wages could allow low-paid workers to share in the benefits of economic growth, while ensuring jobs growth continued. Appearing before Fair Work Australia’s minimum wage panel, government advocate John Kovacic said the pay of low-income workers had ‘gone backwards’ as a result of last year’s minimum wage freeze…”
• Most sides support a rise in minimum wage after freeze, By Kirsty Needham, May 18, 2010, Sydney Morning Herald: “Eric Abetz, the opposition’s workplace spokesman, has joined the federal government and unions in supporting a rise in the minimum wage to make up for last year’s freeze. Unions and business groups are appearing this week before the Fair Work Australia tribunal, which will decide the first minimum wage case since taking over from the Howard-era Fair Pay Commission. Mr Abetz said yesterday there was a strong case for a catch-up rise, the line also being pushed by the Australian Council of Trade Unions. ‘Australian workers took to the task of assisting us through the global financial crisis. Now that we’re coming through I think it makes sense to have a catch-up,’ he said…”

• Minimum wage rising 50¢, By Larry Kusch, April 4, 2010, Winnipeg Free Press: “Coming Oct. 1, some 28,000 Manitobans will get a raise in pay. The province will announce today that it is raising the minimum wage this fall by 50 cents an hour — to $9.50. Business leaders hoped for a smaller increase — or no increase at all — at a time when many employers are suffering economically, while the Manitoba Federation of Labour sought a 75-cent-an-hour rise effective this past April 1. Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard said in an interview Wednesday the government tried to balance the needs of workers and business. The hospitality industry and seasonal agricultural businesses won’t incur higher costs until fall, she said. ‘Yet a 50-cent increase will allow us to maintain our position relative to other provinces… (and) also give those folks who earn minimum wage a significant enough increase that they would be able to buy things they need for their families…’”
• Minimum wage rises again in Man., April 8, 2010, CBC News: “Manitoba’s minimum wage is going up again and businesses are not pleased about it. The provincial government announced Thursday the hourly wage will rise 50 cents to $9.50. The change will take effect in October, said Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard. ‘This increase will help maintain the spending power of approximately 28,000 people working in minimum-wage jobs,’ she said. ‘The improved wage will give them a fairer income while helping Manitoba businesses recruit and retain workers.’ The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said the increase comes at a terrible time Shannon Martin, the CFIB’s director of provincial affairs in Manitoba, said the recession has hurt small businesses…”

Number of minimum-wage earners in Texas surges, By Scott Nishimura, March 11, 2010, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “The number of Texans earning minimum wage surged in 2009, after the wage increased to $7.25 from $6.55, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday. Last year, 474,000 Texans earned minimum wage or below, up 200,000 over the year, the bureau said. Those workers accounted for 8.5 percent of hourly wage earners in Texas…”

Maine may index minimum wage, By Deborah McDermott, March 1, 2010, Portsmouth Herald: “The Maine Legislature’s Joint Labor Committee is currently debating a bill that would tie the state’s minimum wage to cost-of-living increases - a measure that has strong detractors and passionate supporters. LD 192, introduced by Sanford Democratic Rep. John Tuttle, requires the Department of Labor to calculate the inflation-adjusted miminum hourly wage based on changes in the CPI for the Northeast each Jan. 1, starting this year. Excluded from the calculations would be any month in which the state’s unemployment rate exceeds the national unemployment rate. So far, Maine’s rate hasn’t exceeded the national rate. Maine’s hourly minimum wage is $7.50 an hour, 25 cents an hour higher than the federal minimum. If Tuttle’s bill passes, Maine will be the 11th state that indexes minimum wage. A similar effort in New Hampshire was killed last year, leaving the Granite State’s minimum at $7.25 an hour…”

Alaska’s minimum wage increases 50 cents to $7.75, By Elizabeth Bluemink, January 11, 2010, Anchorage Daily News: “Thousands of Alaska’s lowest-paid workers are receiving a boost in their paychecks in the first couple weeks of this year. Due to a change in state law, the state’s minimum wage rose on Jan. 1 to $7.75 per hour. Minimum-wage earners working full time can expect a $1,040 hike in their annual salary — an additional $20 per week. That’s on top of the $4 per week increase they received in July to keep Alaska’s minimum wage even with the federal level. By the most conservative estimates, the wage hike is directly affecting more than 8,000 workers in Alaska, more than half of them adults, according to state officials. Most of them are employed at hotels and restaurants, but they also work in seafood processing, the arts, health care, construction and other jobs…”

Colorado minimum wage drops 3 cents, By Kristen Wyatt (AP), January 1, 2010, San Francisco Chronicle: “Colorado’s minimum wage will drop slightly in the new year - the first decrease in any state’s minimum wage since the federal minimum was adopted in 1938. Colorado’s wage is falling 3 cents an hour, from $7.28 to the federal level of $7.25. That’s because Colorado is one of 10 states that tie the state minimum wage to inflation. The goal is to protect low-wage workers from having unchanged paychecks as the cost of living rises. But Colorado’s provision also allows wage declines, and the state’s consumer price index fell 0.6 percent last year, so the minimum wage is going down…”

Colorado minimum wage set to fall, By Aldo Svaldi, October 13, 2009, Denver Post: “Colorado’s minimum wage is set to decline next year due to a decrease in the inflation rate during the first half of the year, according to an order from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The new order would lower the state’s current hourly minimum of $7.28 to $7.24 on Jan. 1. Most employers, however, will still have to meet the federal minimum wage, which rose to $7.25 in July. For a full-time worker, going from $7.28 to the federal hourly minimum will result in a loss of $62.40 in income during the course of a year…”

Low-wage workers are often cheated, study says, By Steven Greenhouse, September 1, 2009, New York Times: “Low-wage workers are routinely denied proper overtime pay and are often paid less than the minimum wage, according to a new study based on a survey of workers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The study, the most comprehensive examination of wage-law violations in a decade, also found that 68 percent of the workers interviewed had experienced at least one pay-related violation in the previous work week. ‘We were all surprised by the high prevalence rate,’ said Ruth Milkman, one of the study’s authors and a sociology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the City University of New York. The study, to be released on Wednesday, was financed by the Ford, Joyce, Haynes and Russell Sage Foundations. In surveying 4,387 workers in various low-wage industries, including apparel manufacturing, child care and discount retailing, the researchers found that the typical worker had lost $51 the previous week through wage violations, out of average weekly earnings of $339. That translates into a 15 percent loss in pay…”

Colo. could be 1st state to lower minimum wage, By Kristen Wyatt (AP), August 19, 2009, Denver Post: “Colorado’s lowest-paid workers could make even less money next year. That’s because the state has an adjustable minimum wage that may become the first in the nation to drop slightly along with the cost of living. Colorado is one of 10 states where the minimum wage is tied to inflation. The indexing is thought to protect low-wage workers from having flat wages as the cost of living goes up. But because Colorado’s provision allows wage declines, the minimum wage could actually drop 3 cents an hour next year. If the wage is reduced by state labor officials in September as expected, it would be the first minimum wage decrease in any state since the federal minimum wage law was passed in 1938…”

• Opinions split on how hike in wage affects the economy, By Diane Stafford and Tony Pugh, July 26, 2009, Buffalo News: “The federal minimum wage rose from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour on Friday, bringing with it controversy about whether the increase is good or bad for the economy.  The raise, which affects about 4 million workers nationally, is the third and final increase mandated by Congress in 2007…”
• Raising the bar: Minimum wage hike benefits seniors returning to work, By Vernon Tarver, July 26, 2009, Northwest Arkansas Times: “For minimum wage workers, Friday was a good day indeed. Federal minimum wages increased to $7.25 for employees covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, meaning workers receiving minimum pay in Arkansas can look forward to a 70-cent increase in hourly wages…”
• Minimum wage for tipped workers unchanged since 91, By Tony Pugh, July 24, 2009, Miami Herald: “Friday’s increase in the federal minimum wage left Leanne Foti feeling a little hollow. A single mother of two, Foti works as a waitress at the Bridgewater Diner in Bridgewater, N.J.  So her base pay of $2.13 per hour didn’t budge Friday when the federal minimum wage went from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour.  Foti, 34, is one of roughly 146,000 Americans - many of them restaurant, hotel, car wash and nail salon employees - who are paid mainly through customer tips and therefore earn a lower federal minimum wage, $2.13 an hour…”
• Not everyone sees increase in paychecks, By Rhiannon Meyers, July 26, 2009, Galveston County Daily News: “After 30 years of waiting tables, Paula Baker earns just $1.03 more an hour than she did when she started working in the early 1960s. So although millions of minimum-wage earners received a raise Friday, the League City waitress, who’s been struggling for years to make ends meet, did not…”

• Minimum wages to rise in 31 states, By Tony Romm, July 24, 2009, Stateline.org: “Minimum-wage earners in 31 states and the District of Columbia can soon expect slightly bigger paychecks thanks to the third and final installment of a federal rate hike that raises the wage floor from $6.55 an hour to $7.25 an hour effective Friday (July 24).  The latest federal bump will enlarge roughly 4.5 million workers’ paychecks by about four cents an hour in some states to almost $1 an hour in others, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group in Washington, D.C. that supported the increase…”
• Some attack timing of minimum wage hike, By V. Dion Haynes and Emma L. Carew, July 24, 2009, Washington Post: “The federal minimum wage will rise to $7.25 from $6.55 an hour Friday, an increase aimed at giving workers at carwashes, restaurants, child-care centers and retail shops more buying power but one that has sparked criticism from some small-business owners, who say it could threaten their ability to survive in a weak economy…”
• Minimum-wage boost has mixed benefits, By Jonathan B. Cox, July 23, 2009, Charlotte News and Observer: “At Bojangles’ restaurants operated by the company’s largest franchise, a chicken biscuit costs a little more these days. So does the sweet tea. Those higher prices are because the people behind the counter are getting paid a little more…”
• Minimum wage hike could threaten low earners’ jobs, By Dionne Walker (AP), July 23, 2009, Seattle Times: “A federal minimum wage increase that takes effect Friday could prolong the recession, some economists say, by forcing small businesses to lay off the same workers that the pay hike passed in better times was meant to help.  The increase to $7.25 means 70 cents more an hour for the lowest-paid workers in the 30 states that have lower minimums or no minimum wage. It also means higher costs for employers who feel they’ve already trimmed all their operating fat…”

• To minimum-wage workers, this raise makes a difference, By Dana Hunsinger, July 23, 2009, Indianapolis Star: “Will Farrington folds clothes, helps customers find just the right jeans and toils daily in the world of retail. For his work at Aeropostale, he makes $7 an hour. But Friday, his pay will jump when the federal minimum wage rises to $7.25 an hour from $6.55. For Farrington, that means $2 more a day for eight hours of work. But he says it’s nothing to scoff at…”
• Minimum wage goes up tomorrow, but pay is heading down in South Florida, By Harriet Johnson Brackey, July 23, 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “Caroline Bartha’s last employer in Fort Lauderdale reduced staff, from about 80 a few years ago to eight. Next came the pay cut, followed by hours being pared back. Then workers were told they’d have to take two weeks off without pay. ‘Morale was dragging on the floor,’ she said. ‘Because of the pay cuts, I didn’t feel they were treating the employees the way they should.’ And in a final blow, Bartha’s company extended the unpaid leave to three weeks. A full paycheck is no longer a certainty for many South Florida workers…”

• Lowest-wage workers to get a pay hike, By Tony Pugh, July 19, 2009, Miami Herald: The final installment of a three-part increase in the federal minimum wage is proving to be the most controversial. Two previous wage hikes, one in 2007, the other in 2008, pushed the federal wage to $5.85 and then to the current $6.55 an hour. The third, which goes into effect Friday, will push it to $7.25 an hour…”
• Minimum wage rise: More money or fewer jobs?, By Marilyn Geewax, July 19, 2009, National Public Radio: “This Friday, the federal minimum wage will rise to $7.25 an hour, up from $6.55. Conservative economists are worried that the government-mandated raise will force small businesses to lay off workers. They note that the job market has deteriorated since Congress approved the 10.7 percent pay raise two years ago…”

• Minimum wage increase a mixed bag, By Tony Manthey, July 12, 2009, Arkansas Democrat Gazette: “Some companies will see their expenses rise and many workers will see bigger paychecks when the federal minimum wage increases 70 cents, to $7.25 from $6.55 an hour on July 24. The increase - about $112 a month for 40-hour work weeks - is coming during a long and deep national recession…”
• Winners and losers of the minimum wage hike, By Lisa Scherzer, July 10, 2009, Wall Street Journal: “Millions of American workers are about to get a federally-mandated raise, but the recession has left many wondering if and how the economy will benefit. The raise, which will go into effect on July 24, represents the final wage hike in a three-step boost to the federal minimum wage increase passed by Congress two years ago. The minimum wage will rise 70 cents — or about 11% — to $7.25 per hour from $6.55…”
• Minimum wage goes up, By Erin Calandriello and Steven Ross Johnson, July 14, 2009, Elgin Courier News: “As the nation attempts to work its way out of the worst economic recession in decades, local employers say they are concerned over how a mandated increase in the state’s minimum wage will affect their own prospects for recovery.  The state’s minimum wage went up by 25 cents on July 1, to $8 an hour. It was the third of four such planned raises signed into law in 2006 by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich that eventually will boost the pay rate to $8.25 by July 1, 2010…”

• Higher minimum wage coming soon, By Aaron Smith, July 7, 2009, CNNMoney.com: “The federal minimum wage is set to increase later this month as the job market shows signs of further decay.  The federal minimum wage will go to $7.25 an hour on July 24 from its current level of $6.55, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.  The impact will be felt in 29 states, and many of them plan to match the federal minimum when it goes through…”
• Minimum-wage increase comes at a bad time for weakened job market, By Kris Maher, July 6, 2009, Wall Street Journal: “The federal minimum wage goes up this month just as job losses are sending new alarms about the economy, giving traction to perennial fears that higher wages will hurt job creation.  In the past, minimum-wage increases have done little to dent job creation. And pouring more money into people’s pockets — especially low-wage workers who are likely to spend the increase to meet living costs — would normally boost the economy.  But these aren’t normal times…”

• Federal wage hike set for this month, By Ry Rivard, July 1, 2009, Charleston Daily Mail: “About 26,000 West Virginians will find a bit more comfort in their paychecks later this month when the federal minimum goes up by 70 cents an hour…”
• Minimum wage in Illinois raised to $8 an hour, July 1, 2009, Belleville News-Democrat: “Despite the current recession, a lot of workers in Illinois are getting a raise Wednesday.  The state’s minimum wage has increased by 25 cents an hour…”