Washington's minimum wage to remain at $8.55 per hour in 2010
The minimum wage in Washington will remain at $8.55 an hour in 2010 because the Consumer Price Index for the past 12 months did not increase (Washington State Department of Labor and Industries News Release, September 29, 2009).
The Department of Labor and Industries recalculates the state's minimum wage each year in September as required by Initiative 688, which was approved by Washington voters in 1998. The law requires that the state minimum wage be increased for inflation each year according to the change in the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) during the 12 months ending each August 31. The CPI-W is a national index covering the cost of goods and services needed for day-to-day living. It decreased 1.9 percent during the 12-month period ending in August, compared to a 5.9 percent increase during the same period in 2008, which led to a 48-cents-an-hour increase in the 2009 minimum wage.
This is the first time since the initiative passed that there is no increase in the state's minimum wage.
Employers may continue using the current minimum wage poster for another year.
Washington's minimum wage applies to workers in both agricultural and non-agricultural jobs, although 14- and 15-year-olds may be paid 85 percent of the adult minimum wage, or $7.27 per hour.
Washington is one of ten states, with Oregon, Vermont, Ohio, Nevada, Montana, Missouri, Florida, Colorado, and Arizona, that adjusts the minimum wage based on inflation.
Reprinted with permission. © CCH
<p>Washington's minimum wage to remain at $8.55 per hour in 2010 The minimum wage in Washington will remain at $8.55 an hour in 2010 because the Consumer Price Index for the past 12 months did not increase (Washington State Department</p>