Monday, July 20, 2009

On Friday, lowest-wage workers get a raise

The final installment of a three-part increase in the federal minimum wage is proving to be the most controversial.

Two previous wage increases, one in 2007, the other in 2008, pushed the federal wage to $5.85 and then to the current $6.55 an hour. The third, which goes into effect Friday, will push it to $7.25 an hour.

That's not a life-changing raise — an extra $28 a week for a fulltime worker earning the federal minimum — though low-wage earners like Kendell Patterson in Oklahoma City, Okla., say it'll help.

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