by Clare Duffy |
Minimum wage in Portland will gradually increase 59.5 percent over the next six years after Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a historic bill to raise the minimum wage in Oregon earlier this month.
The minimum wage will reach $14.75 within the Portland Urban Growth Boundary, $13.50 in midsize counties and $12.50 in rural areas by 2022. The first wage hike will hit July 1 - when Portland's minimum wage will grow from $9.25 to $9.75.
The bill gives Oregon the highest statewide minimum wage in the nation, which was lauded by President Barack Obama soon after it was signed.
The Statesman Journal reports that 100,000 workers earn minimum wage in Oregon, whom supporters of the bill say often struggle to avoid basic necessities such as food and housing.
Brown said the law will help working Oregonians "get a little closer to the American dream."
Clare Duffy is the news editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at duffy17@up.edu or on Twitter @claresduffy.
