Some of us are born to be low wage earners. So was Carrie Underwood, but her dream came true with winning a national contest and becoming a million dollar artist.
California, May 30 2013: Assembly voted a minimum wage rise over the next three years, hiking it from $8 an hour to $9.25 in 2017. The bill now goes to the state Senate.
Connecticut May 30, 2013: House approves minimum wage raise by 75 cents an hour over 2 years to $9 per hour in Jan. 2015.
Rhode Island May 23, 2013: Senate approved minimum wage raise to $8 per hour next year. Bill now moves to the House.
Minnesota May 8, 2013: Senate approved minimum wage raise to $7.75 by 2015.
NY March 18, 2013: Agreement reached with Gov. Cuomo to increase state's minimum wage to $9 over the next 3 years; 2014 $8, 2015 $ 8.75 and in 2016 $9 per hour.
Indiana March 18, 2013: Indiana House rejects minimum wage increase, will remain $7.25 per hour.
Maine March 14, 2013: Unions push for Maine minimum wage hike to $8.50.
Federal, February 28, 2013: Liberals call for a $10.10 minimum wage, more than the $9 President Obama requested.
New Mexico, February 27, 2013: A bill to raise the minimum wage to $8.50 an hour passed the Senate Committee.
Hawaii, February 27, 2013: Hawaii Senate committee approves minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $8.75. The proposal heads to the Senate for a vote.
Federal, February 12, 2013: President Obama proposes $9 per hour minimum wage.
Illinois, February 6 2013: Gov. Pat Quinn wants proposed increase minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 an hour over the next 4 years.
Washington state, January 30, 2013: A new bill is considered to allow employers with less than 50 employees to pay new employees 75% of the minimum wage during a training period to last no longer than 680 hours. The training wages could not be used on more than 10% of the employer's workforce and could only be used once per employee.
New Jersey, January 28, 2013: Gov. Christie vetoed Monday a bill that would have increased the New Jersey minimum wage by $1.25, saying such a move would have caused businesses to lay of more workers, raise prices or leave New Jersey. His alternate offer: $1 minimum wage increase over three years.
Maryland, January 24, 2013: Union, immigrant and advocacy group lobbies for gradually raise of Maryland's minimum wage to $10 in 2015.
New York, January 23, 2013: Governor Cuomo calls for minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $8.75 effective July 1, 2013.
Hawaii, January 23, 2013 Governor Abercromie wants to increase the minimum wage of Hawaii to $8.75
New Mexico, January 16, 2013: Santa Fe minimum wage to increase to $10.51 on March 1 2013.
Minnesota, January 10, 2013: Bills introduced in state House and Senate could lift the minimum wage by this summer. The Senate version opt for $7.50 while the House plan pushes for a rate of $9.38.
Arkansas, January 10, 2013: State Rep. Butch Wilkins has filed a bill to increase the minimum wage from $6.25 to $8.25 an hour.
New Jersey, November 30, 2012: A bill raising New Jersey’s minimum wage to $8.50 an hour passed the Senate, it now heads back to the Assembly.
Illinois, November 30 2012: New Chicago Union calls for $15 minimum wage, beyond the gradual increase of the Illinois state minimum wage to $10.55 that may be approved next year.
September 29 2012 - Ohio's minimum wage will go up 15 cents in January 2013 to $7.85 per hour for workers over 16 years old of companies with an annual gross receipts of more than $288,000.
September 28 2012 - Washington state's minimum wage will increase to $9.19 an hour starting Jan. 1st 2013.
September 17 2012 - Oregon's minimum wage will go up 15 cents in January 2013 to $8.95 an hour.
July 27 2012 - House Democrats introduced a bill to raise the federal minimum wage from the current $7.25 to $9.80.
New York City July 27, 2012 - NYC mayor Bloomberg has gone to court in an attempt to block implementation of two new laws that raise the minimum wage for workers on many city-funded projects: workers at companies getting $1 million or more city funding get a wage of at least $10 per hour.
American Samoa - President signs American Samoa wage delay bill, which stops the 50-cent increase that would have gone into effect in September.
July 24 2012 - Three years after last increase, business group calls for federal U.S. minimum wage hike. Proposal raise to $9.80 by 2014 in three annual steps and then adjust it for the cost of living.
American Samoa July 19 2012 - Congress passed a bill to freeze the American Samoa's minimum wage, responding to employer concerns and a government financial report that suggest that increases were harming the economy
Pennsylvania July 19 2012 - Scranton city workers get full pay this week, at least this week
Pennsylvania July 11 2012 - Unions fight Scranton mayor after he cuts city workers pay to minimum wage
Pennsylvania July 5 2012 - Scranton mayor has extreme plan to address his city's budget shortfalls: pay every public employee, including himself, minimum wage.
Rhode Island June 22 2012: Rhode Island governor signs minimum wake hike, up from $7.40 to $7.75, into effect January 1, 2013.
New York May 29 2012: Occupy movement focuses on minimum wage hike in NY.
New Jersey May 26 2012: Assembly passes bill to raise minimum wage to $8.50 on July 1, if passed by the Senate. Governor Christie has not said he would sign it.
California May 22 2012: Decision to adopt a $10 minimum wage in San Jose will go to voters this fall.
New York May 20 2012: Liberals urge Governor Cuomo to champion a higher wage.
Connecticut April 27 2012: The house approved the bill that would raise the minimum wage with 50 cents over the next two years. It now awaits action in the state Senate.
Missouri April 26 2012: Initiative seeking to raise the minimum wage is a step closer to making the ballot after a state judge upheld the summary that voters would see.
California April 25 2012: San Jose voters to decide on minimum wage increase in November. The proposal would raise the rate from $8 to $10 per hour with yearly inflation indexation.
California April 24 2012: Lawmakers want to tie minimum wage to consumer price index. The indexing would be expected to hike the minimum wage about 14 cents next January. AB 1439 passed the Assembly's Labor and Employment Committee last week. It now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
USA April 16 2012: Oklahoma based Hobby Lobby stores raises minimum wage to $13 per hour. The increase will affect more than 15000 employees nationwide.
USA April 16 2012: The national minimum wage of $7.25 is lower than it was in 2004 after inflation is taken in to account, even after it increases later this year.
New York April 4 2012: Raising the minimum wage has broad support among New Yorkers: 78% of the voters favor a hike in the $7.25 hourly wage. Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver wants to boost the pay to $ 8.50 with automatic raises tied to inflation.
Connecticut March 15 2012: A bill that would raise the Connecticut minimum wage to $9 an hour beginning in July and then up to $9.75 next year, is going to the Joint Committee on Labor and Public Employes. If it passes it will go to the House.
New Jersey March 12 2012: A bill to set a state minimum wage for tipped workers was approved by the Assembly Labor Committee. Under the bill tipped workers would get a minimum wage of at least 40% of the minimum wage in June ($2.90 per hour) adn 69% of it next year June ($5 per hour).
New Jersey March 9 2012: The Senate Labor Committee passed a plan to raise the NJ minimum wage by $1.25.
New Jersey Feb. 24, 2012: N.J. assembly panel backs higher minimum wage to $8.50, boost of $1.25. The Senate Labor Committee hopes to schedule it before July 1.
Iowa Feb. 16 2012: An Iowa Senate panel, dominated by Democrats, approved a measure to raise Iowa's minimum wage to $10 an hour, but supporters acknowledge the proposal has no change of passing the the Republican controlled House.
Arizona Feb. 16 2012: Arizona legislature wants to pay workers under 20 years less than the minimum wage. Currently it is $7.65, but if approved by voters it will be $4.65 for young workers.
Florida Feb. 16 2012: Senate panel approves the bill (SB2106) to reduce the minimum wage for tipped workers.
Florida Feb. 7 2012: The Florida Senate is considering a plan to reduce the Florida minimum wage for tipped workers from $4.64 to the federal minimum wage level of $2.13, provided that businesses guarantee that their workers will earn at least $9.98 per hours after tips.
South Dakota Feb 5 2012: Lawmakers discussing to raise the South Dakota minimum wage from $7.25 to $8 per hour.
New York Feb.2 2012: A former intern at Harper's Bazaar is suing the magazine's publisher, Hearst Corporation, saying that her internship violates labor laws because it was unpaid, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York.
Connecticut Feb 1 2012: Democrate state law makers are calling for an increase in Connecticut's minimum wage, from $8.25 to $9 per hour this year, and $9.75 next year.
Washington Feb 1 2012: Bills aimed at lowering the Washington minimum wage for workers earning tips have been sent back. The measures missed their chance at going to vote at a House committee and have no shot at making the key deadline to move further.
New York Jan.29 2012: Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, proposing a bill to raise the New York minimum wage from 7.27 to $8.50 per hour. The measure enjoys the support from Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo.
Delaware Jan. 27 2012: Senate approves a Delaware minimum wage hike, from $7.25 to $8.25 an hour in two steps over the next two years. The bill goes to the House for approval.
Hawaii Jan. 25 2012: A bill moving through the state Legislature could increase Hawaii's minimum wage for the first time since 2007 from $7.25 to $8.14 starting Jan. 1 2013. The bill also mandates adjustment for inflation at the start of each fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013 - that would hike the minimum wage further to $8.25.
New Jersey Jan.22 2012: Democratic leaders are expected to push for an increase in the New Jersey minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 per hour.
