Oregon minimum wage increases by 50 cents

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Minimum wage workers in Oregon have received a 50-cent raise as part of a phased-in series of annual increases.

KOIN-TV reports the bump in pay Monday impacted about 162,000 Oregonians.

The Oregon State Legislature in 2016 approved a set of increases in the minimum wage until 2022, when the wage will be tied to inflation. For the Portland metro area, the minimum wage will top out at $14.75 an hour.

The legislation also created Oregon’s unique three-tier minimum wage system to take into account differences in the state’s urban and rural areas.

Around Portland, the minimum wage increased from $12 to $12.50. The standard wage is now $11.25 an hour for more than a dozen counties, including Deschutes, Marion, Yamhill and Tillamook. In nonurban counties, including Crook and Jefferson, the pay was bumped to $11.