Unions representing workers in health care, fast food and other industries are increasingly asserting their power as workers take part in picket lines this summer.
In all industries, employees are striving for better benefits, better working conditions and, above all, higher wages.
In California, nearly a million fast food and health care workers are set to receive a significant pay increase after a deal between unions and industry was announced earlier this week.
Under the new law, most of California’s 500,000 fast-food workers will earn at least $20 an hour next year. And a separate bill will increase pay for health care workers to at least $25 an hour over the next decade.
How does the minimum wage for healthcare and fast food workers compare in other states?
The minimum wage varies in the USA, see map
According to the Department of Labor, fifteen states have enacted laws that make the minimum wage the same as the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. An additional five states have no minimum wage laws.
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Which states have the lowest minimum wage?
The following states require businesses to pay their employees wages that are at least equal to the federal minimum wage of $7.25:
- Georgia
- Iowa
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- New Hampshire
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Utah
- Wisconsin
Which states have the highest minimum wage?
Washington, DC has the highest minimum wage of any U.S. state at $16.50 per hour. Washington state has the highest minimum wage of any state in the country at $15.74 per hour, followed by California at $15.50. The following states have minimum wages above the federal level:
- Washington, D.C., $16.50
- Washington, $15.74
- California, $15.50
- Massachusetts, $15.00
- New York, $14.20
- New Jersey, $14.13
- Connecticut, $14.00
- Arizona, $13.85
- Maryland, $13.80
- Maine, $13.80
- Colorado, $13.65
- Oregon, $13.50
- Vermont, $13.18
- Rhode Island, $13.00
- Illinois, $13.00
- Missouri, $12.00
- New Mexico, $12.00
- Virginia, $12.00
- Delaware, $11.75
- Arkansas, $11.00
- Florida, $11.00
- Hawaii, $11.00
- Alaska, $10.85
- South Dakota, $10.80
- Minnesota, $10.59
- Nebraska, $10.50
- Nevada, $10.50
- Michigan, $10.10
- Ohio, $10.10
- Montana, $9.95
- West Virginia, $8.75
Which states do not have minimum wage laws?
Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, or Tennessee do not have a minimum wage law, so the standard minimum wage is $7.25 under federal law. In Georgia and Wyoming, the state minimum wage is $5.15 per hour, less than the federal minimum wage. However, many employers are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act and must pay the current federal minimum wage.
Do minimum wage laws vary within a state?
Nevada has two minimum wage levels: employers that offer health benefits must pay their employees at least $9.50 per hour, while employers that do not offer health benefits must pay at least $10.50 per hour.
How many workers are paid the federal minimum wage or less?
According to the Labor Department, 78.7 million workers ages 16 and older received hourly wages, accounting for 55.6% of all wage and salary earners. Of these hourly workers, approximately 1 million received wages at or below the federal minimum wage, representing 1.3% of all hourly workers.