State minimum wage to remain the same in 2010

Written by Dave Gallagher | The Bellingham Herald | September 29, 2009

For the first time in more than a decade, Washington state residents will not see an annual increase in the state minimum wage.
The Department of Labor & Industries announced the minimum wage will remain at $8.55 an hour in 2010 because the Consumer Price Index did not increase in the past 12 months.
L&I recalculates the state’s minimum wage each year in September as required by Initiative 688, which was approved by voters in 1998. The law requires it to be increased for inflation, but the index actually went down 1.9 percent. Last year, the state increased the minimum wage by 48 cents an hour after the CPI rose 5.9 percent.
Employers can continue using the current minimum wage poster for another year, said Elaine Fischer of L&I. More information about the minimum wage can be found at lni.wa.gov.

Washington is one of 10 states that adjusts the minimum wage based on inflation.