Published: February 9th, 2009 08:47 PM
Last Modified: February 9th, 2009 08:48 PM
JUNEAU -- Alaska lawmakers are considering a bill that would raise the minimum wage to $8.75 an hour. The current wage is $7.15, or less than $15,000 a year, and the bill's sponsor, Sen. Bill Wielechowski, said workers can't live on that.
The Anchorage Democrat said the increase is reasonable and will benefit Alaska's lowest-paid workers without hurting small businesses.
The Senate's Labor and Commerce Committee heard testimony in Juneau last week. It will hang on to the bill for two weeks to give Alaskans the chance to weigh in by calling or e-mailing a committee member.
Senate Bill 1 also allows for an annual inflation adjustment to keep Alaska's wage at least $1 an hour more than the federal minimum.
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