(Miami Herald) – Thanks to an increase in Florida’s minimum wage, the state’s lowest-paid workers should receive about a $14-a-week raise next year.
With inflation on the rise, state law mandates an automatic increase in the minimum amount that Florida employers can pay their hourly workers. New calculations on cost-of-living increases in Florida will boost the current rate of $7.31 an hour to $7.67 an hour on Jan. 1, according to a statement posted online by the state labor agency.
The increase of 36 cents an hour amounts to an extra $14.40 for someone working 40 hours a week, or an additional $748 for the year. If someone worked 40 hours a week on minimum wage and did not take time off, his or her annual earnings would total $15,954 under the increased rate.
Workers right groups sued Florida for not raising its minimum wage in 2011, prompting a judge to order a six-cent increase in June. While the state posted details about the new rate on its website Saturday, it did not issue a press release to publicize the latest increase. The nonprofit labor group behind the lawsuit hailed the new minimum wage in a statement Monday.
“By putting more money into the pockets of these workers, who spend every penny they earn on basic necessities in their local businesses, raising wages for the lowest-paid workers will help sustain consumer spending and spur economic recovery,’’ wrote Christine Owens, executive director of the National Employment Law Project.
The minimum wage for workers earning tips increases from $4.29 an hour to $4.65.
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