Minimum wages should be a bump in their hourly wage of today.

The Federal minimum wage is increased by 70 cents to $ 5.85 to $ 6.55 per hour. Although the fee charged is not directly concern the vast majority of the work of Virginia, it could impact on consumers, businesses and workers.

The increase is that workers and businesses are feeling the pinch of higher costs of fuel consumption and a slowdown of the economy.

Bruce Raynor, president of UNITE HERE, the union for about 465000 workers, especially in the hotel and food sector of services, said the increase contribute to the economy. “[The low-wage workers] are currently spend money. They are to buy food and clothes,” he said.

Some groups fear of these increases to put pressure on the employer in an already weak economy.

“It is not the wage [increase] It is itself a bad thing. It is the effect,” said Rhoda Elliott, President of the Law on the Grill restaurants.

They concern the increase to put pressure on them and other employers to increase wages at a time when companies in dealing with other costs.

Today, shock in the minimum wage is the second of three to one level. The minimum wage is $ 5:15 to $ 5.85 per hour July this year, the first increase in a decade. It will be another 70 cents next year to $ 7.25.

About 46000 Virginia were to win or below the Federal minimum wage in 2007, representing about 2.6 percent of the state of employment at the time, after an inquiry committee to the federal government budgets. This decrease was from 51,000 in 2006.

At the national level, 1.7 million workers won or below the minimum wage in 2007, roughly 2.3 percent of workers schedules.

Peter Edmonds, owner of the boutique Ghelati Celesti at Gold’s Gym Plaza in Henrico County, said he normally pays young workers $ 6.75 an hour. But he sees the increase because of the change.

“When I started many years ago, someone told me that if you pay less, you do not go to work at least,” he said.

Although the region in Richmond, the unemployment rate rose by half a percentage point in May at 4 percent, the unemployment rate is low enough to rule the wages far above the minimum.

Workers and hourly rate for all industries on average about $ 21.88 an hour, in the region of Richmond.