How Oregon’s $14.50 Minimum Wage Will Hurt Those It’s Supposed to Help

Economists examining the 2007-2009 federal minimum wage hike found that affected workers’ weekly earnings dropped by an average of $150 month.

James Sherk, --February 29, 2016

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Good intentions can produce terrible results. Recently the Oregon legislature passed an unprecedented minimum wage hike in effort to help workers within their state, but the legislation will hurt the workers it’s supposed to help.
By 2022, the state’s minimum wage will rise to $14.50/hour in the Portland area, $12.50/hour in rural areas, and $13.25/hour elsewhere. In six years, even rural Oregon will have the highest minimum wage in the country. Economists examining the 2007-2009 federal minimum wage hike found that affected workers’ weekly earnings dropped by an average of $150 month. This is because while some workers got higher pay, others lost their jobs—or could not find work to begin with. More...

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