January 2, 2016
New Year, New Pay: See Which States Plan to Increase Minimum Wage in 2016
The fight for a nationwide minimum wage hike continues as labor union supporters and minimum wage workers protest and rally for an increase in pay.
[RELATED: #Fightfor15: 10 Moving Photos That Prove a Minimum Wage Hike is Needed]
On Nov. 10, a one-day worker strike was held in 270 cities in support of the Fight for 15 campaign, which was launched three years ago to get states to raise the minimum wage above the national average of $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour. As of Jan. 1, 2015, 29 states, plus the District of Columbia, agreed to raise their wages above the national average, but no state has agreed to raise their pay to $15. However, in May Los Angeles passed a vote to increase their pay to $15 an hour by 2020, following other cities like Seattle, Chicago, and San Francisco, who also voted to increase workers hourly pay.
As 2015 comes to a close, here are the 13 states, plus the nation’s capital, who plan to raise their minimum-wage pay in 2016:
Alaska: increase minimum wage from $8.75 to $9.75
Arkansas: increase minimum wage from $7.50 to $8.00
California: increase minimum wage form $9.00 to $10.00
Connecticut: increase minimum wage from $9.15 to $9.60
District of Columbia: increase minimum wage from $10.50 to $11.50
Hawaii: increase minimum wage from $7.75 to $8.50
Maryland: increase minimum wage from $8.00 to $8.75
Massachusetts: increase minimum wage from $9.00 to $10.00
Michigan: increase minimum wage from $8.15 to $8.50
Minnesota: increase minimum wage from $9.00 to $9.50
Nebraska: increase minimum wage from $8.00 to $9.00
New York: increase minimum wage from $8.75 to $9.00
Vermont: increase minimum wage from $9.15 to $9.60
West Virginia: increase minimum wage from $8.00 to $8.75