As always starting with good news when I can. This week, I have two bits of good news.First up is the news that Vermont has just enacted legislation that will raise that state's minimum wage to $10.50 an hour over the next few years. That is the highest state-level minimum wage in the country. It's not enough; it's less than $22,000 a year for someone working full-time, year-round; but it is a clear improvement.
Seven states have passed laws this year raising their minimum wages, including Connecticut, Hawaii, and Maryland, which all set schedules to raise theirs to $10.10 per hour over the next couple of years. The District of Columbia raised the minimum there to go to $11.50 in 2016, and several US cities have likewise raised the minimum wage to be paid there. Recently, Seattle voted to raise the minimum to $15 per hour over the next seven years, which is at least enough to keep a family out of poverty.
Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage remains at a paltry $7.25 an hour.
Sources cited in links:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/09/vermont-minimum-wage_n_5474143.html
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