CINCINNATI — Paychecks will look slightly different for those making minimum wage starting the first day of 2025. Ohio’s minimum wage will increase to $10.70 an hour for 2025 following an adjustment for inflation on Jan. 1.
"I feel like it's a step in the right direction," said Rafeval Green, assistant manager at The Bagelry.
Green told me he works two jobs to make ends meet amid the inflation we know too well. We asked him if he thought the Ohio wage increase was essential.
"I feel like customer service needs it in general," he said. "It makes the world go round."
The Ohio Department of Commerce website states that the minimum wage for tipped jobs will increase by $.10 to $5.34 an hour, and non-tipping jobs will go up by $.25 to $10.70.
More on minimum wage increasing in Ohio
"Whenever I get like a tiny pay raise and everything it always feels like so insignificant in the moment," The Bagelry employee Elizabeth Zajkowski said. "When I like do the math in my head I'm like uh $.25 that's like nothing, but it definitely does add up over time."
Zajkowski is not just an employee but a student. She said that to make ends meet, she used to have two jobs. Yet two jobs on top of school caused her a lot of stress.
"I was working two jobs for a little while here so I just stopped one of them," she said. "So I’m feeling a little financial stress right now about that."
She said, above all, every little bit helps. Green said getting paid more is a great thing, but the best part of their job is the customers.
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