Oregon Public Broadcasting

Workers making minimum wage in Oregon learned Wednesday that they’ll be getting a 15 cents an hour wage increase. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

Oregon’s Labor Commissioner, Dan Gardner, says the wage will jump to $7.95 an hour on January 1st.  The increase translates to about $30 more every month.

Dan Gardner: “What you can do with $30 a month, if you’re a single mother for instance, is buy your kid a pair of shoes and a winter coat. And that’s what it amounts to to the worker.”

The increase is a result of a 2002 ballot measure, which tied the wage to the Consumer Price Index.

For the last few years it has meant that Oregon had the second highest minimum wage in the country. But this year, even with the increase, Oregon is expected to fall to fourth place behind California, Washington and Massachusetts.

About 17 states have minimum wages higher than the federal rate. That rate was recently increased by Congress for the first time in a decade to $5.85.