- Minimum wage increase a mixed bag, By Tony Manthey, July 12, 2009, Arkansas Democrat Gazette: “Some companies will see their expenses rise and many workers will see bigger paychecks when the federal minimum wage increases 70 cents, to $7.25 from $6.55 an hour on July 24. The increase – about $112 a month for 40-hour work weeks – is coming during a long and deep national recession…”
- Winners and losers of the minimum wage hike, By Lisa Scherzer, July 10, 2009, Wall Street Journal: “Millions of American workers are about to get a federally-mandated raise, but the recession has left many wondering if and how the economy will benefit. The raise, which will go into effect on July 24, represents the final wage hike in a three-step boost to the federal minimum wage increase passed by Congress two years ago. The minimum wage will rise 70 cents — or about 11% — to $7.25 per hour from $6.55…”
- Minimum wage goes up, By Erin Calandriello and Steven Ross Johnson, July 14, 2009, Elgin Courier News: “As the nation attempts to work its way out of the worst economic recession in decades, local employers say they are concerned over how a mandated increase in the state’s minimum wage will affect their own prospects for recovery. The state’s minimum wage went up by 25 cents on July 1, to $8 an hour. It was the third of four such planned raises signed into law in 2006 by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich that eventually will boost the pay rate to $8.25 by July 1, 2010…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty