By Emma Ockerman
MarketWatch, June 30, 2022. Also MSN, Morningstar, more
Starting July 1, workers in several states will be entitled to a higher minimum wage.
Thanks to a law enacted three years ago, Connecticut residents who currently make $13 an hour will get a raise to $14. Meanwhile, non-tipped workers in In Washington, D.C., will start making an hourly wage of $16.10. Oregon workers will also start to earn a minimum wage of $13.50, though, due to a tiered-wage system, rural residents will earn a dollar less and Portland metro residents will earn $1.25 over the standard wage. And in Nevada, wages will jump to $10.50 for workers without health benefits and $9.50 for workers with benefits.
It’s a move some advocates and businesses are celebrating.
“With the federal minimum wage stuck at an abysmal $7.25 an hour, state increases are essential for workers, businesses and the economy,” Holly Sklar, the CEO of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a national network of business owners and executives advocating for pay increases for wage workers, said in a statement. “Minimum-wage increases make it more possible for workers to afford the basics and strengthen the consumer spending that businesses depend on.”
Business owners from across the country joined the statement in support, including Constance Palaia, the owner of Motel Del Rogue in Grants Pass, Ore.
“We have a $15 minimum wage because we want our staff and their families to live secure, healthy lives,” Palaia said. “Our employees are great and stay with us, which is unusual in the high-turnover hospitality industry and has positioned us well for the 2022 travel boom. Raising the minimum wage will help Oregon build a stronger economy and more resilient businesses.” ...