Around 4.5 million minimum wage workers in 18 US states received a pay hike beginning January 1 this year, estimates the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank tracking minimum wage legislation. Many of the hikes were a result of ballot initiatives approved by voters or bills passed by state legislatures. The federal minimum wage has not changed since 2009.
Though the federal minimum wage remains $7.25 per hour, many states have opted to implement their own, higher rates that local employers must observe. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia now require a higher minimum wage than the federal one.
Some such states have laws that require the minimum wage to be adjusted every year according to an inflation index, to rise with the cost of living.
Maine’s hourly minimum wage will rise by a full dollar, to $10, Hawaii’s by 85 cents, to $10.10, and Colorado’s by 90 cents, to $10.20, according to US media reports.
The last hike in 2009 was the result of a series of increases signed into law by President George W. Bush. President Barack Obama tried hard for a minimum wage hike throughout his second term, but Republicans in Congress blocked Democratic proposals.
Dozens of cities and counties in the United States have also raised their minimum wages beyond the state and federal levels. (DS)
Source Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India