Eight state governments are forcing bosses to give low-rung workers pay raises, thanks to automatic annual raises in minimum wages. Washington state leads the way, scheduled to up its minimum wage 37 cents an hour to $9.04 next year. Burger flipping in Colorado will still only pay $7.64 in 2012, but at least that’s better than the $7.36 it pays now.

Colorado, Montana, Ohio, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Florida and Vermont require minimum wages to rise in accordance with inflation, CNNMoney reports, adding that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 translates to about $15,000 a year for full-time workers. The national average wage is $22.60.

Minimum wage to rise in eight states [CNNMoney]

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