WA: Minimum Wage Remains Unchanged
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.
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. However, the CPI-W decreased 1.9 percent during the 12‑month period ending in August. This is the first time since the initiative passed that there is no increase in the state’s minimum wage.
(Washington State Department of Labor and Industries News Release, September 29, 2009, at WA ¶49-1000)
Filed under: Washingon
