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US Federal Minimum Wage Raised To $7.25
Washington, D.C. (AHN) – The federal minimum wage jumps to $7.25 per hour on Friday, affecting workers in 30 states including Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York and Tennessee.
The change brings the number of increases implemented by the Labor Department under the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 to three. The first one was two years ago when the minimum wage was raised to $5.85, the second in 2008 when it was increased to $6.55.
A family with a full-time earner would see its monthly income increase by about $120, according to the Labor Department.
A number of states have minimum wage rates that are higher than the federal minimum wage, with Washington state’s $8.55 per hour being the highest. Employees in these states are entitled to receive the higher wage.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Thursday touted the increase, saying in a statement, “When Democrats assumed control of Congress, increasing the minimum wage was one of our first orders of business and it has meant real progress for American families struggling to make ends meet-a $4,000 annual raise now that it’s fully phased in. We are continuing that work as we reform health care to make it affordable, reliable and accessible for all Americans.”
The increase comes a day after the Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment benefits rose last week by 30,000 to 554,000, attributed by officials to automotive layoffs. The number of Americans filing for continuing jobless claims dropped by 88,000 to 6.22 million.
In June, the economy lost 467,000 jobs, bringing the total number of jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007 to 6.5 million.
The unemployment rate is at a 26-year high of 9.5 percent nationwide, and over 10 percent in 15 states including the nation’s capital.
The states affected by the new minimum wage are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming
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