Federal Minimum Wage to Increase
From $5.15 per hour to $5.85 per hour
July 24, 2007
Remember minimum wage? That’s something we haven’t thought about here in Sublette County since the oil and gas boom hit. Here, even the convenience store clerks are starting at between $10-$15 per hour with $750 to $1000 sign on bonuses. But in a lot of states, many people are struggling to make a living and raise a family on $5.15 per hour (or less).
A new law, which takes effect today (Tuesday, July 24), raises the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $5.85 per hour. There will be two more step increases over the next two years which will ultimately raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour. This is the first increase in the federal minimum wage law in ten years.
The federal minimum wage provisions are part of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Many states also have their own minimum wage laws. In cases where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two minimum wages.
The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 raises the wage in the 18 states that haven't already boosted their minimum wage. Wyoming, and our neighbors Idaho and Utah, are states that still have minimum wages that match the federal guideline minimum base $5.15 per hour wage rate.
Kansas is the only state in the U.S. with a state minimum wage law that has a base rate lower than the federal minimum wage rate. Their basic minimum hourly rate is $2.65 per hour. Five southern states have no minimum wage law.
Related Links:
Federal Minimum Wage U.S. Department of Labor
Minimum Wage by State Map
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