Minimum-wage workers in 22 states are going to see more money in their paychecks in the new year.
Those increases will affect an estimated 9.9 million workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), which estimates that those bumped wages will add up to an additional $6.95 billion in pay.
In addition to those 22 states, 38 cities and counties will also increase their minimum wages above state minimums on Jan. 1.
According to the Department of Labor, 20 states will maintain the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
And according to EPI, of the 17.6 million workers earning less than $15 an hour, nearly half live in those 20 states that continue to stick to the federal minimum wage — which has not changed since 2009.
The cost of living, however, has skyrocketed.
I got a grande soy chai, which isn’t even fancy other than switching to a non-dairy milk, at Starbucks the other day and it was like $6.50. Fuckin highway robbery.
That’s why I don’t go to Starbucks at all anymore. It’s trash, they union busy, and it’s become ridiculously expensive.
Buy a Moka pot. It’s easy and will take just as long as going through a Starbucks. Tastes better too.
The union thing has been a big reason why I don’t go, too. I make coffee at home or work 99.9% of the time, but I really wanted a chai that day. And then they told me the total and I said, “ooh never again.”