Based on an inflation rate of 2.2 percent, Oregon’s minimum wage will increase by $.15 from $6.90 per hour to $7.05 per hour beginning January 1, 2004.

This cost of living adjustment was the result of Ballot Measure 25, approved by Oregon voters in November 2002. Ballot Measure 25 requires the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries to annually adjust the minimum wage for inflation based on a rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The annual wage adjustment is to be calculated each September, rounded to the nearest five cents, and made effective the
following January.

Prior to the passage of Ballot Measure 25, Oregon’s minimum wage had not increased since 1999. In 1996, voters approved a ballot measure that increased the minimum wage by $1.50. The 1996 measure went into effect January 1, 1997 and was phased in over a three-year period, with the final increase taking effect in January 1999.
The federal minimum wage is $5.15 and has not increased since 1997. After the January 2004 adjustment it appears Oregon’s minimum wage will be the fourth highest in the nation. The State of Washington also annually adjusts its minimum wage based on the CPI.

Employers are required to post the minimum wage posters available from the Bureau
of Labor & Industries. If you have not yet received a copy, you may download a copy
from: www.boli.state.or.us•

FOUR HIGHEST MINIMUM WAGE STATES:
Alaska & Washington	$7.15
Connecticut	$7.10
Oregon	$7.05*
*Effective January 1, 2004