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The share of Idaho workers earning minimum wage has grown from 5 percent in 2011 to 7.7 percent in 2012. The growth has put Idaho in the top spot for the largest share of minimum wage workers in the country. How did that happen? And what’s being done to reverse the trend?

Oregon, Washington Propose $12 State Minimum Wages

Activists rally in support of a $15 per hour minimum wage on the steps of the Washington capitol building in Olympia.
Austin Jenkins
/
Northwest News Network
Activists rally in support of a $15 per hour minimum wage on the steps of the Washington capitol building in Olympia.

Oregon could leapfrog Washington to have the highest state minimum wage in the country if the Democratically-controlled legislature approves a proposed increase.

Different Democrats in the Oregon Legislature have filed proposals to raise the state minimum wage in stages from the current $9.25 per hour up to $12.20 or $15. But the Washington State Legislature Monday got a head start in considering a similar increase to $12 per hour.

Washington currently has the highest state minimum at $9.47.

An overflow crowd showed up in Olympia for the first hearing on a proposal to raise that in four steps to $12 per hour. Several small business owners spoke in favor of it.

"Retention is so important in our bottom line," Long Beach, Washington, hotel owner Tiffany Turner said. "Paying our employees well and treating them well makes a huge difference to our employees and our customers."

But then others, like fast food operator JoReen Brinkman of Pullman, warned of consequences.

"Last year, we were forced to raise prices two percent due to an increase in minimum wage and rising cost of goods,” Brinkman said. “We had a huge backlash from customers."

The narrow partisan majorities in the statehouses in both Salem and Olympia make it hard to predict the outcome on raising the minimum wage.

A proposed increase to $12 per hour failed to clear the Democratically-controlled Washington House last year.

Copyright 2021 Northwest News Network. To see more, visit Northwest News Network.

Tom Banse covers business, environment, public policy, human interest and national news across the Northwest. He reports from well known and out–of–the–way places in the region where important, amusing, touching, or outrageous events are unfolding. Tom's stories can be heard during "Morning Edition," "Weekday," and "All Things Considered" on NPR stations in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Tom Banse
Tom Banse covers national news, business, science, public policy, Olympic sports and human interest stories from across the Northwest. He reports from well known and out–of–the–way places in the region where important, amusing, touching, or outrageous events are unfolding. Tom's stories can be found online and heard on-air during "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" on NPR stations in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

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