Correction appended.
Ohio University employees working minimum wage jobs will return to campus with a slight boost in their paychecks thanks to a 15 cent increase in the state minimum wage.
Effective Jan. 1, the minimum wage for non-tipped employees has increased to $8.30 per hour from $8.15, while the minimum wage for tipped employees has increased to $4.15 per hour, up 7 cents from $4.08.
According to the National Conference of State Legislators, 18 states began the new year with a higher minimum wage. Seven of those states, including Ohio, increased their rates automatically as the cost of living increases. The 11 other states increased rates as a result of previously approved legislation or ballot initiatives.
The increase to $8.30 per hour is expected to generate $106 million in additional income for minimum-wage workers in Ohio this year, according to Policy Matters Ohio, a public policy research group.
A memo issued by OU Human Resources states payroll will make “necessary adjustments” and the new rate will be reflected in the first paychecks of 2018.
The memo notes, however, that there will be no central funding provided for departments to account for the new minimum wage. Thus, individual departments will be expected to account for the increased amount in their budgeting processes.
Correction: A previous version of this report misidentified the minimum wage for tipped employees. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
