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Arizona Minimum Wage To Increase 15 Cents In January

Thousands of Arizonans in low-wage jobs will be getting a pay hike on the first of the year. That’s because Arizona voters approved a state minimum wage in 2006, along with a cost-of-living escalator.

The state minimum wage right now is $7.90, but with inflation at 1.7 percent this year, that escalator will mean a minimum wage of $8.05 for 2015. The federal minimum remains at $7.25.

Arizona Chamber of Commerce President Glenn Hamer opposes state minimum wages and calls the automatic wage adjustments bad for business and for workers whose jobs may be eliminated as companies cut costs.

"I would argue that having an entry-level position at $7.25 or what the current minimum wage is, I believe it's $7.90, is better than having no job," Hamer said.

The largest segment of minimum wage jobs appears to be in the restaurant industry from the busing staff to the clerks who assist customers.