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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Pioneer Mike II dedication Saturday ... Transient who made racist comments known to Ashland police ... 18 students fraudulently earned certification at Abdill ... Pioneer Mike II dedication Saturday ... Transient who made racist comments known to Ashland police ... 18 students fraudulently earned certification at Abdill ... OREGON LEGISLATURE Oregon minimum wage, hotel tax going up Friday The new laws will kick in Friday Comment By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press Posted Jun. 30, 2016 at 6:02 PM By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press Posted Jun. 30, 2016 at 6:02 PM » Social News PORTLAND — New laws kicking in Friday will give a slight boost to the paychecks of more than 100,000 low-income Oregonians while tourists and vacationers will have a little less spending money in their wallets. Under the changes enacted by the Legislature earlier this year, the current 1 percent tax on hotel stays in Oregon will nearly double and the state's $9.25 hourly minimum wage will climb by 50 cents in two of three newly-created geographic regions — metro Portland and smaller cities such as Eugene and Salem — and 25 cents in the third area's rural communities located mostly east. The lodging tax hike to 1.8 percent, which will slip to 1.5 percent in four years, will help create a $25 million-subsidy for the 2021 World Track and Field Championships in Eugene and provide additional state tourism funds. Friday's wage increase is the first of seven happening annually through 2022, when metro Portland's minimum will top $14.75, smaller cities at $13.50 and rural areas at $12.50. Employees who travel will either earn the wage from whichever region they spend more than half their time, by hours worked in each region or the highest rate of whichever region they work. With the federal $7.25 minimum unchanged in seven years, unions and labor groups have recently been pressing states and localities nationwide to make up the slack. A dozen state legislatures did so in 2014 and 2015, and this year California and New York became the first to adopt $15 hourly minimums, higher than any other. Oregon falls short of $15, but it's the first state to toss the flat, statewide minimum for a tiered approach by region, where the differing wage rates are based on each area's unique costs of living and other economic factors. "In the past six years, the number of people moving to Oregon has increased by 10 percent while much of our state's job growth is happening in the low wage sectors of the economy. Combine that trend with housing costs skyrocketing and we have a problem," Tom Chamberlain, president of the Oregon AFL-CIO union, said in a statement. "Solving that problem requires a multifaceted approach, and raising wages is central to that approach." By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press Posted Jun. 30, 2016 at 6:02 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501