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For lowest-paid, a step up

 
Published Jan. 3, 2012

For a small fraction of Florida's workforce, this week is more than the start of a new year — it also marks an increase in pay. Eight years after Florida voters set a state minimum wage indexed to inflation, the wage rose by 36 cents to $7.67 an hour. That means the 3 percent of Florida workers who earn minimum wage are now guaranteed an hourly wage that's 42 cents more than the federal minimum.

Minimum wage critics frequently bemoan this government intervention in the market, arguing that it artificially raises wages and makes it less likely that businesses will hire new workers. But for more than 75 years, this country has held firm that workers at the bottom of the ladder deserve to make a fair wage. And it's notable that in 2004, after years of inaction by Congress, more than 70 percent of Florida voters approved the state wage plan, understanding that the regulation is one of the few checks on a system that seems more and more focused on increasing wealth only at the top of the ladder.

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have set a minimum wage higher than the federal one. Of the nine states that automatically adjust those wages based on cost of living, Florida's is considerably less than the highest four: Washington ($9.04), Oregon ($8.80), Vermont ($8.46) and Nevada ($8.25). That doesn't mean it's insignificant.

At the new wage, Florida's lowest-paid full-time workers will earn $15,950 annually, putting them above the 2010 federal poverty line for one person of $11,139. And it's a good bet that the extra $14.40 they will earn weekly will be spent, increasing economic activity.

The increase was a small victory for the 250,000 Floridians who make minimum wage, but a vital one. Eight years after voters passed Amendment 5, it still makes sense.