Employers should be prepared for the minimum wage increases that are expected in the New Year, Chelsey Lewis and Patrick Ryan of labor and employment law firm FordHarrison wrote in JD Supra. Even though the federal minimum wage has stagnated at $7.25 per hour since 2009, state legislatures have been active in increasing their respective minimum wage rates. In 2019, 21 states will increase their state’s minimum wage rate, with 18 of those increases taking effect on New Year’s Day or New Year’s Eve.