From $6.55, the hourly wage rate on Guam will increase to $7.25 by virtue of a federal law that mandates the staggered wage boost, which was first implemented in July 2007 and then again in July last year.
This year’s wage hike is the last of the three steps mandated by the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which was signed into law on May 25, 2007 as a rider to the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007.
Gary Hiles, the labor department’s chief economist, said workers currently earning above the minimum rate “may also receive an increase although not legally required.”
The minimum wage increase this year will subsequently reduce the number of workers who are getting paid below the $7.25 per hour level.
