Oregon 2011 Minimum Wage increasing 10-cents in January
State Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian has announced that Oregon’s minimum wage will rise to $8.50 per hour on January 1, 2011. The 10-cent increase reflects a 1.15% increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since August 2009.
The CPI, which is published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed “market basket” of goods and services people purchase for day-to-day living. The ballot measure that requires the annual CPI adjustment was passed by Oregon voters in 2002. (See ORS 653.025) In making the announcement, Avakian said that the modest increase helps workers and their families by preserving their purchasing power in difficult times, but will also benefit local economies without shocking businesses in a way that hurts the economic recovery. Oregon’s minimum wage rate has been $8.40 per hour since January 1, 2009.
Oregon is one of ten states, with Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Vermont, and Washington, that annually adjusts the minimum wage based on inflation and the CPI. Compliance Poster Company anticipates the release of the Oregon 2011 Minimum Wage posting in December.