CENTRAL OHIO -- Ohio's lowest-paid workers will receive a modest raise on New Year's Day, when the state's minimum wage increases from $7 to $7.30 per hour.
Restaurant servers and others who make tips will see their minimum base pay go from $3.50 an hour to $3.65.
The 4.3 percent cost of living adjustments are being implemented under an Ohio constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2006.
Labor issues expert Susan Helper at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland says entry-level workers need the extra money now more than ever, given the sour economy.
But executive director Roger Geiger with the Ohio chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business says the minimum wage increase couldn't come at a worse time for struggling small businesses.
On January 1, 2009, the increased minimum wage will apply to employers who gross more than $267,000 per year. In 2008, Ohio's minimum wage had applied to employers who gross over $255,000 per year.
The constitutional amendment passed by voters in November 2006 states that Ohio's minimum wage shall increase on January 1 of each year by the rate of inflation.
For employees of smaller companies (grossing $255,000 and less per year in 2008 and $267,000 or less after January 1, 2009) and for 14- and 15-year-olds, the state minimum wage is currently $6.55 per hour and will increase to $7.25 per hour July 24, 2009.
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