OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state’s minimum wage will likely not increase for the second year in a row, based on federal inflation numbers released Friday.
The state’s minimum wage is tied to inflation, as dictated by a 1998 voter-approved initiative. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, fell last year for the first time since the initiative took effect.
Preliminary federal numbers released Friday show an overall increase in the index, though still lower than the last time the state minimum wage increased in 2009.
The state Department of Labor and Industries asked Attorney General Rob McKenna if the state would be able to increase the minimum wage if inflation increases, but not above the level the current rate is based upon. In an opinion issued Wednesday, McKenna said no.
