Sunday, July 30, 2006

More States Boost Minimum Wage

Lawmakers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Delaware have recently approved increases to their state's minimum wage.

In North Carolina, the minimum wage will increase from $5.15 per hour to $6.15 per hour effective January 1, 2007. The new minimum wage law also ties North Carolina 's minimum wage to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. If the federal minimum wage is raised, employees in North Carolina will receive whichever wage is higher.

In Pennsylvania, the minimum wage will increase from $5.15 per hour to $6.25 per hour on January 1, 2007, and to $7.15 on July 1, 2007. For employers with the equivalent of 10 or fewer full-time employees (based on a 40-hour workweek), the minimum wage will increase in three steps: $5.65 on January 1, 2007; $6.65 on July 1, 2007; and $7.15 on July 1, 2008.

In Delaware, the state minimum wage will increase from $6.15 per hour to $6.65 per hour on January 1, 2007, and to $7.15 per hour on January 1, 2008.