SALEM, OR -- Oregon's minimum wage is set to go up at the start of the new year.  On January 1, 2015, the wage will be increasing 15 cents, from $9.10 to $9.25.  The yearly increases are a result of Ballot Measure 25, which was approved by Oregon voters back in 2002.

The state's Labor Commissioner evaluates the minimum wage each year, and the increases are tied to the Consumer Price Index.  Charlie Burr with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries is looking forward to the increase.  "When a worker gets this increased wage, he or she is going to be spending that directly back in the economy, supporting local businesses," Burr says.

Burr thinks the effect will be far-reaching.  "'[That's] for about 141,000 workers around the state," Burr says.  The issue of minimum wage is also expected to be brought up in the upcoming legislative session.