Washington Minimum Wage Increasing 28 Cents

Washington’s minimum wage will increase 28 cents to $7.63 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2006.

The Department of Labor and Industries recalculates the state’s minimum wage each year in September, as required by Initiative 688, which Washington state voters approved in 1998. The initiative requires the state to adjust the minimum wage according to the change in the federal “CPI-W,” which is a national index covering the cost of goods and services needed for day-to-day living. That index rose 3.8 percent during the 12 months ending Aug. 31, 2005.

Washington’s minimum wage applies to workers in both agriculture and non-agricultural jobs, although 14- and 15-year-olds may be paid 85 percent of the adult minimum wage, or $6.49 an hour.

For more information, visit www.LNI.wa.gov/IPUB/101-054-000.asp.