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January jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4%, wages rise more than forecast; Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel; Ten Commandments in public schools debate reaches South Dakota; Virginia ranks among worst states for wage theft; Mexican long-nosed bat makes appearance in Arizona.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi strikes a Trump tone at the Justice Department, federal workers get more time to consider buyouts, and an unclassified email request from the White House worries CIA vets.

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During Black History Month, a new book shares how a unique partnership built 5,000 schools for Black students, anti-hunger advocates say ag communities would benefit from an expanded SNAP program, and Americans have $90 billion in unpaid medical bills.

Study: Low wage workers in AR could benefit from minimum wage increase

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Friday, October 4, 2024   

A new study finds minimum-wage increases have little or no impact on job loss. The Economic Policy Institute study comes as federal lawmakers consider raising the minimum wage.

The minimum wage was last increased in Arkansas in 2008 from $6.25 to $11 an hour. The report's author, Ben Zipperer, a senior economist at the EPI, said the minimum wage has consistently raised the income for low-wage workers.

"They have done so in a way that doesn't cause any big negative employment shocks or big disruptions in the local economy," he said. "What that means is that minimum wages have largely been successful in their primary aim of making it easier for low-wage workers to make ends meet."

Zipperer said earlier research that used outdated methods is part of the reason raising the minimum wage is so controversial. The Minimum Wage Act covers employers with four or more employees.

Vice President Kamala Harris is floating the idea of raising the federal minimum wage, but a dollar amount has not been announced. It's been 15 years since Congress last raised the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

Zipperer said not raising it harms workers.

"That's really putting downward pressure on a lot of low-wage workers' wages," he said, "and it means that they're earning much less than they would were we to actually have an updated minimum wage, rather than the outdated minimum wage standard that we have today."

He said that while it's more expensive to hire workers, being able to retain them actually saves employers money. The study noted that because of inflation, the federal minimum wage value has fallen 29% since the last time it was increased.


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