Colorado drops minimum wage by 4 cents

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DENVER, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Colorado's Department of Labor and Employment dropped the state's minimum wage on New Year's Day to $7.24 per hour from $7.28, an official says.

Robin Kniech, program director for FRESC: Good Jobs, Strong Communities in Denver, said the decrease reflects the downward trend in the cost of living, the Denver Business Journal reported.

"This adjustment with inflation shows that Colorado's minimum-wage amendment works as voters intended," Kniech said. "But in the interests of keeping our economy moving and avoiding hardship to employees and their families, we urge employers not to lower wages."

The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.

The Business Journal said nine other U.S. states base their minimum wage levels on the cost of living. Those states are Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.