Oregon's minimum wage is nation's second-highest By William McCall, AP
PORTLAND -- Oregon has the second-highest minimum wage in the nation as 2005 begins, trailing only its neighbor to the north, Washington state, where the minimum is now $7.35 per hour.
The $7.25-per-hour rate in Oregon that took effect Saturday is well above the federal minimum of $5.15 per hour, a rate that has not changed since 1997.
The minimum wage has been a politically charged issue since Oregon became the national pioneer for a basic wage level in 1913 with a successful crusade by Sister Miriam Theresa to force the Legislature to pass a wage law to address sweatshop practices in the state.