Washington's minimum wage to break national record on Jan. 1
Millions of U.S. workers will get a raise on New Year's Day, as more than a dozen states increase their minimum wage. That will include thousands of people across Washington.
Two states will tie for the highest minimum wage in 2017. The minimum wage is increasing to $11 an hour in Washington and Massachusetts. Washington's will continue increasing each year, until it reaches $13.50 an hour. That’s because of a new minimum wage law passed by voters in November.
Seattle has an even higher minimum wage, which is gradually moving toward $15. That law is taking effect for large businesses that don't cover health insurance. That means a raise for a lot of city workers.
Eventually all Seattle employers will pay a minimum of $15 an hour.
Elsewhere, Oregon's minimum wage increases to $10.25 in July. The federal minimum remains at $7.25, which 21 states follow.
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Paige Browning
Newscaster
Paige hosts midday newscasts and monitors news of significance to the Puget Sound region. She hopped over Washington’s mountains to join KUOW, after hosting news and reporting at Spokane Public Radio since 2011. She began her start in radio while a journalism student at University of Montana, by sharing stories with KUFM. Paige was raised in the mountains and rivers around Spokane. In her spare time she cheers on the Mariners in the summer, and hopes for snow in the winter.
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