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Stories Tagged as

Minimum wage

The minimum wage for tipped workers is on the ballot in two states

by Kimberly Adams
Oct 21, 2024
In Massachusetts and Arizona, voters will decide if a lower official wage for tipped workers should be phased out or made permanent.
Many restaurant workers rely on tips to raise their pay to state or federal minimums.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
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California's fast-food workers got a big pay hike. Franchise owners say they're struggling.

by Megan Jamerson
Aug 19, 2024
The state's $20-an-hour mandate pressures some outlets to raise prices and risk turning away low-income customers.
Jaylene Loubet, a McDonald’s cashier and fast-food worker advocate, says the pay boost helps cover her family's expenses.
Megan Jamerson/KCRW
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15 years later, the federal minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour

by Caleigh Wells
Jul 24, 2024
It's the longest stretch of time Congress has gone without raising the federal minimum wage.
The federal minimum wage has the lowest purchasing power since 1949. Above, Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks on raising the federal minimum wage in 2023.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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Does the federal minimum wage still matter?

by Savannah Peters
Jun 25, 2024
The federal floor is $7.25 an hour — but only around 1% of workers are paid that little. Several states and cities will hike their minimums July 1.
David McNew/Getty Images
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Washington, D.C., is a test case for phasing out the tipped minimum wage

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Apr 12, 2024
“Now, it is leaner crews,” says one restaurant server, but a more stable income. Other states are watching how it plays out in the capital.
Shortly after the phaseout of the tip credit started in Washington, D.C., last year, employment at sit-down restaurants started to fall sharply, according to state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images
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Potential changes in restaurant pay stir mixed reactions

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Apr 11, 2024
In a dozen states, restaurants and worker advocates are fighting over how — and how much — tipped workers should be paid.
In states where restaurants are required to pay the full minimum wage, people generally tip less, but not by much, according to payment service provider Toast.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
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More than 20 states ring in the new year with a higher minimum wage

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer
Jan 1, 2024
The highest state minimum wages as of Jan. 1, 2024 will be Washington state at $16.28 and California at $16. But is that really enough to live on?
A nationwide livable wage would be close to $25 an hour, says Amy Glasmeier, a professor of economic geography at MIT.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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If wages go up, do fast-food prices have to go up too?

by Janet Nguyen
Nov 15, 2023
In California, the minimum wage is rising to $20 an hour. Could execs, stockholders and franchisees share the costs?
The price of a Big Mac stood at $5.58 in June, according to The Economist's Big Mac index. It was $5.15 a year earlier. But workers have a beef.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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California's $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers is actually a compromise

by Nova Safo
Oct 2, 2023
Despite one of the highest minimum wages in the country for fast-food workers, fast-food companies still clocked some wins.
California has enacted legislation that will bump fast-food workers’ pay to a minimum of $20 an hour starting next year.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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In California, one county is forcing restaurants to pay wage theft claims or risk losing their permits

by Farida Jhabvala Romero
Sep 7, 2023
Santa Clara County is helping regulators deal with businesses that cheat workers out of wages but fail to settle that debt.
Melissa Sanchez with the Fair Workplace Collaborative speaks with a restaurant manager. Sanchez is part of an outreach effort to inform small businesses about Santa Clara County’s food permit enforcement program.
Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED
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