The Washington Department of Labor and Industries announced recently that pursuant to Revised Code of Washington §49.46.020, the minimum wage for the state of Washington will increase to $8.55 per hour effective January 1, 2009. The law requires an adjustment to the minimum wage be calculated each year. The adjustment is tied to the change in the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the 12 months ending in August. The 5.9% increase in the CPI-W will result in an increase of $0.48 for 2009. Contact Vision Payroll if you have any questions on the Washington minimum wage increase or visit our Minimum Wage Chart.