Santa wows kids of Iron Workers Local 29 Minimum wage to increase in 2013 Oregon’s minimum wage will in- crease by 15 cents per hour — to $8.95, starting Jan. 1, 2013. The wage hike tracks a 1.7 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from Au- gust 2011. A union-led ballot measure that en- acted the state law in 2002 directs the commissioner of the state Bureau of Labor and Industries to adjust the min- imum wage for inflation, rounded to the nearest five cents. The CPI is pub- lished by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, measuring the average change in prices over time for a fixed “market basket” of goods and services, such as food, shelter, medical care, transportation fares, and other goods and services people purchase for day- to-day living. Oregon and Washington are among 10 states that make annual adjustments to their minimum wage. Minimum pay in Washington will increase by 15 cents next year, taking it to $9.19 per hour, the highest rate in the country. Children and grandchildren of members of Iron Workers Local 29 gather with Santa Claus at the local’s annual Christmas breakfast Dec. 8 at the Holiday Inn in Northeast Portland. This year marks the 27th anniversary of the party, which includes breakfast and a gift for each child. More than 300 people attended. from the Columbia-Pacific Building & Construction Trades Council Jodi Guetzloe Parker, Executive Secretary Treasurer PAGE 10 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS DECEMBER 21, 2012