Minimum wage earners in Washington will be getting a 48 cents-an-hour hike in their pay starting Jan. 1.
The increase will push Washington’s minimum wage to $8.55 an hour.
It covers workers aged 16 and olderup in agriculture and non-agricultural jobs. State law allows 14- and 15-year-olds to be paid less; they can earn 85 percent of the adult minimum wage which will be $7.27 an hour next year. That is up from the current $6.86 an hour rate.
Raises are a result of the 1998 voter-approved initiative requiring annual adjustments based on the rise in the federal consumer price index. According to the state Department of Labor and Industries, that index rose 5.9 percent in the 12 month period ending Aug. 31, 2008.
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