New 15-cent hike to begin Jan. 1

COLUMBUS (AP) — Ohio’s minimum wage is scheduled to go up by 15 cents to $8.10 beginning Jan. 1.

The state Department of Commerce also announced the new minimum for tipped employees will be $4.05 per hour — a 7-cent increase.

The minimum wage is adjusted annually because of a 2006 voter-approved amendment to the Ohio Constitution. Increases are linked to inflation. The amendment also requires wages for non-tipped employees to be rounded to the nearest five cents.

The Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers rose 1.6 percent during the period used to calculate wage increases.

The state wage for employees at small companies and 14- and 15-year-olds is tied to the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour.

Ohio’s minimum wage increased by 10 cents in 2014.