State Minimum Wage Jumps to $11 Per Hour Jan. 1

Per the results of Initiative 1433, the overall state minimum wage is going up $1.43 beginning Sunday. The initiative was approved during the November 2016 election.

The initiative raises the wage to $11 per hour,  workers who are under 16 can make 85% of the wage, or $9.35 starting in January, or they can be paid the full amount.

The bill also raises the wage each year, in 2018, 2019 and finally by 2020, it will be at it's final level of $13.50.  The wage in 2016 was $9.47 per hour.

Some cities, including Seattle and Sea-Tac, already have targets of $15.00 by 2020, and they will increase at a higher rate than the state.  Cities have the option to raise the minimum wage within their city limits by passing their own statutes.

The bill passed statewide by roughly a margin of 57 to 43 percent, largely due to overwhelming support in Clark, King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. It did not pass in any county East of the Cascades.  In Benton, Franklin, Adams, Walla Walla and Grant Counties, it was defeated by an average margin of 59-41%. These figures according to the Washington State Secretary of State's office, who oversees election results.