TL;DR
Minimum wage increased in 19 states with the start of the new year, giving millions of workers a raise. The amount of increase varies by state, with some states like Massachusetts increasing by $1 to $11 an hour and others like California increasing by 50 cents to $10.50 an hour.
Minimum wage increased in 19 states with the start of the new year, starting a shift that will ultimately give millions of workers a raise. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 4.3 million low-wage employees across the country will soon see a bump in their paychecks.
The amount minimum wage is going up depends on specific states’ rules. The Wall Street Journal notes that in Massachusetts, for example, the minimum wage is going up by $1 to $11 an hour. California, on the other hand, is only seeing a 50-cent boost to $10.50 an hour.
Despite states changing their minimum wages, the federal level has stayed at $7.25 an hour since 2009. There are currently 21 states that adhere to that standard, while more than half of the other 29 automatically adjust to keep up with inflation.
In this story
This story was originally published in 1851 Franchise on January 4, 2017. Burnaze summarizes and links to the original reporting.
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