‘Couldn’t be more happy;’ Local workers happy to see annual minimum wage increase go into effect

BEAVERCREEK — Some workers are now making more money per hour as we have rang in the new year.

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Starting today, the state’s minimum wage is now $10.45 for non-tipped employees and $5.25 for tipped employees, which is a lot different than the amount when Doug James was starting to work.

“When I started, minimum wage, I think, was $2 an hour so how’s that for a comparison?” James said.

He went on to tell News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson that when he was working minimum wage, he was still living at home with his parents, so he wasn’t using that money to afford a living.

“It was just intended to get you started,” he said. “You’re not supposed to be able to support a household on it.”

As we showed you on News Center 7 at 6:00, Ethan Schum was excited to hear about the increase because he currently makes minimum wage working for the University of Dayton’s men’s basketball team.

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“For me, that’s a little bit of a raise so for me personally, I’m all for it and I couldn’t be more happy for people around me here who are also going to get that as well,” Schum said.

The wage increase is due to a constitutional amendment Ohioans voted for in 2006, stating Ohio’s minimum wage should increase on Jan. 1 each year by the rate of inflation. Schrum said he was happy to hear that.

“That’s a good thing (that) it will keep going up. I enjoy that,” he said.

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