“If it had kept up with productivity since the late 1960s, the federal minimum wage would be worth about $19 an hour in 2018,” a December report by the EPI read. The inflation-adjusted minimum wage reached its highest point in history in 1968. In today’s dollars, it would equal $9.68 per hour, an EPI report shows. “Workers’ productivity (how much a worker produces for a given hour of work) has nearly doubled since then. So, if we had increased the minimum wage along with productivity, the federal minimum wage would be about $19 per hour,” Ben Zipperer, an economist at the EPI, told Observer. Critics counter that the reference point of the 1960s is problematic for a capitalism society. “The Economic Policy Institute estimates begin with a Soviet-Maoist era premise that everyone is entitled to a ‘living wage,’” Panos Mourdoukoutas, an economics professor at Long Island University, told Observer. (EPI cited throughout)
New York Observer
January 3, 2018
Eighteen states and 19 cities, including the District of Columbia, will boost the statutory minimum wage effective in January, according to the National Employment Law Project. That will provide workers at the bottom of the income ladder with a combined wage increase of more than $5 billion next year, according to figures compiled by the Economic Policy Institute.
CNBC
January 3, 2018
The federal minimum wage has stayed at $7.25 an hour since 2009, a figure the Economic Policy Institute estimates should be close to $19 today, factoring in inflation and cost of living.
Time Magazine
January 3, 2018
Eight more states hiked minimum wages through automatic inflation adjustments including Alaska, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio and South Dakota. The wage hikes across the country will provide a $5 billion wage boost for 4.5 million workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The increases range from 35 cents an hour in Michigan to $1 an hour in Maine.
Seattle Pi
January 3, 2018
A new year is upon us, and for residents of some states and counties that means more money. This is welcome news for workers who are struggling to get by. Recently, it was announced there would be a hike in minimum wage for 18 states and roughly 20 cities and counties by January 1, 2018. This increase will provide more than $5 billion in additional wages to 4.5 million workers across the United States, reports the Economic Policy Institute.
The Cheat Sheet
January 3, 2018
The Economic Policy Institute says the wage is “too low.” “If [minimum wage] had kept up with productivity since the late 1960s, the federal minimum wage would be worth about $19 an hour in 2018,” the think tank said in a statement.
UPI
January 1, 2018
Eight states, Alaska, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio and South Dakota, had smaller automatic increases that adjusted the minimum wage to keep up with price growth, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute.
The Birmingham News
January 1, 2018
In most of the 18 states hiking their minimum hourly rates today, the increases are the result of either legislation or recent voter-approved ballot measures, and range from 35 cents in Michigan to $1 in Maine, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Other states will have smaller automatic increases that adjust the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation. About 4.5 million workers around the country will benefit from the wage increases taking effect early this year, the Economic Policy Institute says. The 10 states raising the minimum wage as a result of legislation or ballot measures are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, according to EPI.
ABC News
January 1, 2018
In half of those states, the minimums will be rising automatically, to keep up with inflation. The other half, including Hawaii, California, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan and Rhode Island, increased their minimum wages through ballot measures or legislation. Some 4.5 million workers will be directly affected, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
CBS Moneywatch
January 1, 2018
Millions of American workers will be getting some great news on New Year’s Day, as 18 states are scheduled to raise their minimum wage as soon as the clock strikes midnight. According to the economic policy institute, this will result in an immediate raise for 4.5 million workers across those 18 states. (EPI cited throughout)
Bustle
January 1, 2018