New year brings increase in Arizona’s minimum wage
Jan 1, 2015, 5:30 AM | Updated: 5:30 am
(KTAR File Photo)
(KTAR File Photo)
PHOENIX — The new year is bringing new wages for some Arizonans.
The Arizona minimum wage increased on Jan. 1 from $7.90 per hour to $8.05 and is adjusted according to the Consumer Price Index.
“In this instance, the CPI actually would have required us to raise the minimum wage by, I think, 13 (or) 13.5 cents, but the law provides for an upward rounding, so you got to the next 5-cent increment,” said John Balitis, an employment and labor attorney with Fennemore Craig.
He said basing the minimum wage off the Consumer Price Index was part of the Arizona Minimum Wage Act in 2006, which has resulted in an increased rate every year since the policy’s adoption.
Arizona’s rate continues to sit higher than the federal minimum of $7.25, which was last increased in 2009.
Balitis said it’s important for employers in Arizona to be aware of the increase and to update any signs in the workplace that might display the minimum pay rate.
“They need to update that posting with a new poster, so that it reflects the new minimum wage for 2015,” he said.
Employers should also know that whenever a conflict between federal or state wage rates arise, employers are required to pay the higher of the two rates.
