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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana University will raise the minimum wage for its employees by $1 to $8.25 an hour beginning July 1, the school announced Thursday.
The increase will raise the pay of approximately 8,750 university employees across the state. More than two-thirds of those affected work on the Bloomington campus, where housing and dining operations employ many part-time and seasonal workers, including a large number of students, the university said.
"Indiana University depends on the hard work of many part-time and temporary employees on all our campuses, and this much-deserved pay increase is one way we can recognize their important contributions to the success of IU," IU President Michael A. McRobbie said in a statement. "Many of these employees also are students at IU, and increasing their pay is consistent with our commitment to student affordability and accessibility."
IU last raised its minimum wage to $7.25 in July 2009, the same time the federal minimum wage last went up.
Democrats in Congress have proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2016. President Barack Obama in February signed an executive order increasing the hourly minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10.
Indiana House Democrats in January proposed increasing Indiana's minimum wage to $8.25 per hour, but the move was defeated by majority Republicans. Opponents contend raising the minimum wage would force some employers to eliminate jobs.
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