JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Wages will be increasing for millions of low-income workers across the U.S. as the new year ushers in new laws in numerous states.
New minimum wage requirements will take effect in 20 states and nearly two dozen cities.
The state wage hikes range from an extra nickel per hour in Alaska to a $1-an-hour bump in Maine, Massachusetts and for California employers with more than 25 workers.
Seattle’s largest employers will have to pay workers at least $16 an hour starting Tuesday. That’s more than twice the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
In Missouri and Arkansas, minimum wages are rising as a result of voter-approved ballot initiatives.
The wage increases come amid a multi-year push by unions and liberal advocacy groups to raise the minimum wage nationwide.
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