Washington’s minimum wage will remain $8.55 per hour in 2010, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) announced this week.  Click here to view L&I’s press release on the 2010 Washington minimum wage.    

L&I recalculates the state’s minimum wage each year as required by Initiative 688, which requires that the minimum wage be increased for inflation annually according to any increases in the federal Consumer Price Index.  This year, the CPI actually decreased by 1.9 percent.  However, Initiative 688 does not allow L&I to decrease the minimum wage, so it will remain the same in 2010.  Washington employers can continue to use the current minimum wage poster for at least one more year.  Click here for more information on Washington’s minimum wage from L&I. 

As we reported last week, Oregon’s minimum wage will also remain unchanged in 2010, at the rate of $8.40 per hour.  A total of ten states have minimum wage rates tied to various cost of living measures:  Washington, Oregon, Vermont, Ohio, Nevada, Montana, Missouri, Florida, Colorado, and Arizona.