Voters in four states Arizona, Colorado, Maine and Washington approved ballot measures that will raise their state minimum wage by between 43% and 60% over the next few years. Arizona, Colorado, and Maine will incrementally increase their minimum wages to $12 an hour by 2020. Washington’s will be increased incrementally to $13.50 an hour by 2020.
State increases that are effective January 2017 include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Vermont. New York’s minimum wage will increase again December 31, 2016. Maryland, Minnesota and Washington DC have minimum wage changes mid- year 2017.
New York is the second state to pass a new law to raise the minimum wage in New York City to $15 per hour by the end of 2018. Washington D.C. followed suit, enacting a law to raise the minimum wage in the District to $15 per hour by July 1, 2020. California will increase their minimum wage to $15 per hour by Jan. 1, 2022, for employers with 26 or more employees. For employers with 25 or fewer employees the minimum wage will reach $15 per hour by Jan. 1, 2023. Increases may be paused by the governor if certain economic or budgetary conditions exist. Beginning the first Jan. 1 after the minimum wage reaches $15 per hour for smaller employers, the minimum wage is indexed annually for inflation.
Fourteen states began 2016 with higher minimum wages. Of those, 12 states increased their rates through legislation passed in the 2014 or 2015 sessions, while two states automatically increased their rates based on the cost of living.
Of the 11 states that currently tie increases to the cost of living, eight did not increase their minimum wage rates for 2016.
State and City minimum wage increases continue to make front page news. An unprecedented number of cities and counties have moved to adopt higher local minimum wages. In addition, cities are proposing substantially higher wage levels than in past years. Cities with minimum wage ordinances include San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle (SEA-TAC), Montgomery County and Prince Georges County MD, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and others have already approved increases. Many other cities have ordinances that become effective in 2017 and beyond.
Follow this link to the WageWatch MinimumWage Chart with details of federal, state and local minimum wage and pending increases:
https://wagewatch.com/resources/Minimum_Wage_Chart_Jan_2017.xlsx
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