The new Seattle minimum wage has been in effect since April 2015. For a full-time worker working at a company or chain with more than 500 employees nationally, you’ve seen roughly a THOUSAND more bucks in your paycheck.
Check it out. The old minimum wage was $9.47, but for people working for a company or chain with more than 500 employees nationally, it is now $11/hr. $11 means about $1.50 extra for every hour, so $60 extra for every full-time week. 17 weeks since 4/1, so $1020 extra! That’s a month of rent, childcare, money to pay off that car loan, or maybe just the chance to go out into the community and spend some money on yourself for once. Not too shabby.
Here’s what Seattle workers should be making right now.
$11 an hour minimum wage if you work for a company or chain with more than 500 employees nationally.
$10 an hour minimum wage AND $11 an hour minimum compensation if you work for a smaller company or chain. Minimum compensation is the sum of your wage, any tips you receive, and the cost to your employer of providing you healthcare benefits. You cannot be paid less than $10 an hour in wages and you can’t receive less than $11 in minimum compensation. If you don’t get tips or if you are not enrolled in employer provided healthcare you must be paid $11 an hour.
The wages are going up again on January 1, 2016 and every year after that. The first workers get to $15/hour in 2017, and everyone gets there in the next few years afterwards.
Are you not getting the amount you should be? You can find out your wage at our app, WhatsMyWage.org. It just takes a couple of clicks on your phone, or on the website. You can also let us know if something seems off about your paycheck just by clicking this link here.