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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Bureau of Labor and Industries
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Commissioner Brad Avakian<o:p></o:p></font></span></b></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Press Release<o:p></o:p></font></span></b></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">For Immediate Distribution<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">September 17, 2012<o:p></o:p></font></span></b></p>
<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">CONTACT: Bob Estabrook, 503-709-0730<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
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<b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt"><font face="Times New Roman">Avakian Announces 2013 Minimum Wage<o:p></o:p></font></span></b></p>
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<i><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Effective January 1, employers must pay at least $8.95 per hour<o:p></o:p></font></font></i></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>PORTLAND-</b> Brad Avakian, Comissioner of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), today announced the minimum wage rate that will take effect on January
1, 2013: $8.95 per hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><b><o:p></o:p></b></font></font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">The 15-cent increase tracks a 1.7% increase in the Consumer Price Index from August 2011.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Speaking at a press conference in Springfield, Avakian called the increase necessary to help Oregon families make ends meet in tough times.
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">“Oregonians recognize the rising cost of living facing every one of us, and our strong minimum wage law is essential insurance that Oregon workers and their families
can maintain their purchasing power and continue to contribute to our local economies,” said Avakian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">State law, enacted by Oregon voters in 2002, directs the BOLI Commissioner to adjust the minimum wage for inflation every September, rounded to the nearest five cents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>The adjustment accounts for inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a statistic published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics measuring the average change in prices over time for a fixed “market basket” of goods and services,
such as food, shelter, medical care, transportation fares and other goods and services people purchase for day-to-day living.
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">“Especially in a tough economy, it’s critical that we not let working families, who are already struggling to tread water, drift into even deeper water,” said Bob Baldwin,
president of Lane Central Labor Council.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>
“Increasing the minimum wage is fundamentally necessary to preserve the purchasing power of low-wage Oregonians, who would otherwise see the same paycheck no longer covering the same expenses.”</font></p>
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<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">Oregon is one of ten states that makes annual adjustments to its minimum wage based on inflation and the CPI. Revised minimum wage posters reflecting the new rate will be
available for free download from BOLI’s website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>That site, which includes additional information about all of BOLI’s activities, is
</font><a href="http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI"><font color="#800080" size="3" face="Times New Roman">http://www.oregon.gov/BOLI</font></a><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">.</font></p>
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<i><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><font face="Times New Roman">The mission of the Bureau of Labor and Industries is to protect employment rights, advance employment opportunities, and protect access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination.<o:p></o:p></font></span></i></p>
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