Detroit ï¿½ Mya Hill watched in dismay as Detroit police handcuffed protesters who blocked traffic on the cityï¿½s east side as part of a day of protests throughout the nation to prod fast-food chains to pay their employees at least $15 an hour. 
 
 The protests, which were planned for about 150 cities nationwide throughout Thursday, are part of the ï¿½Fight for $15ï¿½ campaign. Since the protests began in late 2012, organizers have switched up their tactics every few months. Before Thursdayï¿½s protests, organizers said they planned to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience to draw more attention to the cause. 
 
 Protesters in Detroit had said they planned to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. 
 
 ï¿½I didnï¿½t see any resistance or reaction by the people who were arrested,ï¿½ said Hill, a protester who lives in Lincoln Park. ï¿½They were put into the back of police cars. I was proud of them for being so brave.ï¿½ 
 
 The movement, which is backed financially by the Service Employees International Union and others, has gained national attention at a time when the wage gap between the poor and the rich has become a hot political issue. Many fast-food workers do not make much more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, which adds up to about $15,000 a year for 40 hours a week. 
 
 Hill was one of about 100 protesters who marched through the parking lot of an east-side McDonaldï¿½s on Mack near Moross before dawn on Thursday, shouting slogans and bottling up the drive-thru lane. 
 
 Detroit police ticketed 24 protestors and arrested six others on outstanding traffic warrants. According to the Detroit Police Department, the arrests came about after a group of people abandoned the sidewalk and ended up blocking a lane of Mack. 
 
 According to Sgt. Michael Woody, there were 100 to 125 protesters at the McDonaldï¿½s when police arrived. 
 
 ï¿½The Detroit Police Department recognizes the right for citizens to assemble and protest,ï¿½ Woody said in a statement. ï¿½However, it must be understood that there are still laws as it pertains to protesting. Citizens ... cannot become disorderly, block or impede the movement of other citizens. 
 
 ï¿½Unfortunately, there were several individuals involved in today's protest who did engage in these activities.ï¿½ 
 
 According to Woody, no force was used during any of the arrests and all of the protesters were compliant during the processing phase. 
 
 ï¿½They were in a traffic lane on Mack Avenue and preventing people from getting by,ï¿½ Woody said. ï¿½We told them they had the right to protest as long as they did it on the sidewalk. There was no force used by our officers and no resistance from the protesters.ï¿½ 
 
 According to Woody, protesters quietly complied when told to put their hands behind their backs for cuffing. 
 
 ï¿½People were put into cars and quickly taken from the scene to minimize the emotions of the crowd,ï¿½ he said. 
 
 Deputy Police Chief Steve Dolunt added protesters were given the option to leave before police acted. 
 
 ï¿½But they wouldn't," Dolunt said. "People were trying to get to work and get their kids to school but couldn't get through. The problem was exacerbated by the road construction on Mack." 
 
 The road is currently down to a single lane due to the ongoing construction. 
 
 Hill said she came to the protest with many co-workers in order to secure a $15 an hour minimum wage and the right to form a union. 
 
 ï¿½Iï¿½m asking for a living wage, not a minimum wage,ï¿½ Hill said. ï¿½I have to put gas in my car. I donï¿½t want to have to decide if Iï¿½m going to pay DTE or my rent.ï¿½ 
 
 Hill has worked at a Checkers in Lincoln Park for the past four years. She also works a second job at a dollar store. 
 
 ï¿½I work 13 hours a week at Checkers,ï¿½ said Hill, the mother of a 1 ï¿½ year old son. ï¿½Rather than give us 20 hours a week, they hire more than they need in order to keep the hours down.ï¿½ 
 
 The National Restaurant Association said in a statement that the protests are an attempt by unions to ï¿½boost their dwindling membership.ï¿½ 
 
 In New York on Thursday, at least three people wearing McDonaldï¿½s uniforms were hauled away by police officers after standing in the middle of a busy street near Times Square. 
 
 On Monday, Michigan increased the minimum wage to $8.15, the first in a series of steps that ultimately will boost the stateï¿½s minimum wage 25 percent over four years to $9.25 in 2018. It then will automatically rise annually based on inflation. 
 
 Michigan joined nine other states in approving mandatory wage hikes, and its rate is now the ninth highest in the country. Mondayï¿½s increase marked its first minimum wage hike in seven years. 
 
 Supporters of the measure said the new wage will put more money in the pockets of 1 million Michigan wage earners and help the working poor. Under the new law, the stateï¿½s base hourly wage will rise well above the $7.25 federal rate. 
 
 Meanwhile, the Raise Michigan proposal for $10.10 failed to make the Nov. 4 ballot because the stateï¿½s election board eventually determined it didnï¿½t have enough valid registered-voter signatures. Before its demise, it helped prod the Republican-controlled Legislature ï¿½ joined by many Democrats ï¿½ to raise the minimum wage in four stages. 
 
 Twenty-year-old Kaya Moody of Detroit works at a McDonaldï¿½s elsewhere in the city and just this week had her pay upped to the $8.15 an hour. Moody marched with the others. 
 
 The single mother says $15 an hour ï¿½would mean I could actually provide for my day-to-day expenses.ï¿½ 
 
 Detroit police said they brought in officers usually assigned to school patrol to assist at the protest. 
 
 ï¿½It wasnï¿½t a violent situation,ï¿½ Woody said. ï¿½They had the right to protest, and they made their point very well.ï¿½ ||||| The table below reflects current state minimum wages in effect as of July 1, 2018, as well as future enacted increases. 
 
 Summary 
 
 2018 Highlights 
 
 Eighteen states began the new year with higher minimum wages. Eight states (Alaska, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, and South Dakota) automatically increased their rates based on the cost of living, while eleven states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington) increased their rates due to previously approved legislation or ballot initiatives. 
 
 Massachusetts enacted a measure (HB 4640) to increase the state minimum wage to $15.00 over five years. The tipped wage would rise to $6.75 from $3.75 over the same time period. 
 
 Delaware enacted SB 170, which phases in a two-step increase. The rate rises from $8.25 to $8.75 effective January 1, 2019 (as amended by HB 483), and will increase again to $9.25 effective October 1, 2019. 
 
 Voters in Arkansas and Missouri approved ballot initiatives phasing in increases to $11.00 and $12.00 per hour, respectively. 
 
 2017 Highlights 
 
 Nineteen states began 2017 with higher minimum wages. Seven states (Alaska, Florida, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio and South Dakota) automatically increased their rates based on the cost of living, five states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Maine and Washington) increased their rates through ballot initiatives previously approved by voters, and seven states (California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York and Vermont) did so as a result of legislation passed in prior sessions. Washington D.C., Maryland and Oregon raised their respective minimum wages on July 1, 2017 due to previously enacted legislation. 
 
 Rhode Island was the only state to enact a minimum wage increase during 2017 legislative sessions. 
 
 2016 Highlights 
 
 Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Maine, and Washington approved November ballot measures to raise their respective minimum wages. Arizona, Colorado, and Maine will incrementally increase their minimum wages to $12 an hour by 2020. Washington's will be increased incrementally to $13.50 an hour by 2020. 
 
 New York became the second state to pass a new law that would raise the minimum wage in New York City to $15 per hour by the end of 2018. Washington D.C. followed suit, enacting a law to raise the minimum wage in the District to $15 per hour by July 1, 2020. 
 
 On April 4, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 3 into law. The new law increases the minimum wage to $15 per hour by Jan. 1, 2022, for employers with 26 or more employees. For employers with 25 or fewer employees the minimum wage will reach $15 per hour by Jan. 1, 2023. Increases may be paused by the governor if certain economic or budgetary conditions exist. Beginning the first Jan. 1 after the minimum wage reaches $15 per hour for smaller employers, the minimum wage is indexed annually for inflation. 
 
 On March 23, Governor Kenneth Mapp of the Virgin Islands signed Act 7856, establishing an $8.35 minimum wage with scheduled annual increases on June 1, 2017 and 2018 until the rate reaches $10.50. 
 
 On March 2, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed SB 1532 into law. It establishes a series of annual minimum wage increases from July 1, 2016 through July 1, 2022. Beginning July 1, 2023, the minimum wage rate will be indexed to inflation based on the Consumer Price Index. 
 
 Fourteen states begin the new year with higher minimum wages. Of those, 12 states increased their rates through legislation passed in the 2014 or 2015 sessions, while two states automatically increased their rates based on the cost of living. 
 
 Of the 11 states that currently tie increases to the cost of living, eight did not increase their minimum wage rates for 2016. Colorado provided for an 8-cent increase and South Dakota granted a 5-cent increase per hour. Increases in Nevada are required to take effect in July. 
 
 Maryland, Minnesota and D.C. have additional increases scheduled for 2016. Nevada will announce in July whether or not there will be a cost of living increase to their indexed minimum wage. 
 
 2015 Highlights 
 
 The Rhode Island legislature enacted an increase, taking the state minimum wage to $9.60 effective Jan. 1, 2016. (HB 5074 / S194) 
 
 The increases D.C. and Maryland passed during the 2014 session take effect July 1, 2015. D.C.'s new wage of $10.50 an hour makes it the first jurisdiction to cross the $10 threshold among the states. Maryland's minimum wage rose to $8.25 on July 1. 
 
 Delaware also passed an increase in 2014, which took effect June 1, 2015, increasing the state's minimum wage to $8.25 an hour. 
 
 2014 highlights 
 
 Currently, 29 states and D.C. have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. 
 
 Five states have not adopted a state minimum wage: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. New Hampshire repealed their state minimum wage in 2011 but adopted the federal minimum wage by reference. 
 
 State Legislation 
 
 State Minimum Wage Legislation State Minimum Wage Future Enacted 
 
 Increases Indexed Automatic 
 
 Annual Adjustments Alabama none Alaska $9.84 Indexed annual increases begin 
 
 Jan. 1, 2017. (2014 ballot measure) American Samoa varies 1 Arizona $10.50 $11.00 eff. 1-1-19 $12.00 eff. 1-1-20 Rate increased annually based on cost of living beginning Jan. 2021 (2016 ballot measure) Arkansas $8.50 $9.25 eff. 1-1-19 $10.00 eff. 1-1-20 $11.00 eff. 1-1-21 California2 $11.00 $12.00 eff. 1-1-19 $13.00 eff. 1-1-20 $14.00 eff. 1-1-21 $15.00 eff. 1-1-22 Indexed annual increases based on CPI begin Jan. 1, 2023 Colorado $10.20 $11.10 eff. 1-1-19 $12.00 eff. 1-1-20 Rate increased annually based on cost of living beginning Jan. 1 2021 (2016 ballot measure) Connecticut $10.103 Delaware $8.75 $9.25 eff. 10-1-19 D.C. $13.25 $14.00 eff. 7-1-19 $15.00 eff. 7-1-20 Indexed annual increases based on CPI begin July 1, 2021 Florida $8.25 Annual increase based cost of living. (Constitutional amendment 2004) Georgia $5.15 Guam $8.25 Hawaii $10.10 Idaho $7.25 Illinois $8.25 Indiana $7.25 Iowa $7.25 Kansas $7.25 Kentucky $7.25 Louisiana none Maine $10.00 4 $11.00 eff. 1-1-19 $12.00 eff. 1-1-20 Indexed annual increases based on CPI begin Jan 1, 2021 Maryland $10.10 Massachusetts $11.00 5 $12.00 eff. 1-1-19 $12.75 eff. 1-1-20 $13.50 eff. 1-1-21 $14.25 eff. 1-1-22 $15.00 eff. 1-1-23 Michigan $9.25 Annual increases take effect Jan. 1, 2019, linked to the CPI. Increases not to exceed 3.5%. (2014 Legislation) Minnesota $9.65/$7.87 6 Indexed annual increases begin 
 
 Jan. 1, 2018. (2014 legislation) Mississippi none Missouri $7.85 7 $8.60 eff. 1-1-19 $9.45 eff. 1-1-20 $10.30 eff. 1-1-21 $11.15 eff. 1-1-22 $12.00 eff. 1-1-23 Minimum wage increased or decreased by cost of living starting Jan. 1, 2024. (2018 ballot measure) Montana $8.30/$4.00 8 Increases done annually based on the CPI and effective Jan. 1 of the following year. (2006 ballot measure) Nebraska $9.00 Nevada $8.25/$7.25 9 Increases subject to the federal minimum wage and consumer price index. Increases take effect July 1. (Constitutional amendment 2004/2006). New Hampshire repealed by HB 133 (2011) New Jersey $8.60 Indexed annual increases based on the CPI, effective Jan. 1, 2014. (Constitutional Amendment 2013) New Mexico $7.50 New York $10.4010 $11.10 eff. 12-31-18 $11.80 eff. 12-31-19 $12.50 eff. 12-31-20 After 12-31-20, the rate is adjusted annually for inflation until it reaches $15.00 North Carolina $7.25 North Dakota $7.25 Ohio $8.30/$7.2511 Indexed annual increases based on the CPI. (Constitutional amendment 2006) Oklahoma $7.25/$2.00 12 Oregon $10.7513 $11.25 eff. 7-1-19 $12.00 eff. 7-1-20 $12.75 eff. 7-1-21 $13.50 eff. 7-1-22 Indexed annual increases based on the CPI are effective July 1, 2023 (2016 legislation) Pennsylvania $7.25 Puerto Rico $7.25/$5.08 14 Rhode Island $10.10 $10.50 eff. 1-1-19 South Carolina none South Dakota $8.85 Annual indexed increases begin 
 
 Jan. 1, 2016. (2014 ballot measure.) Tennessee none Texas $7.25 Utah $7.25 Vermont $10.50 Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, minimum wage increased annually by 5% or the CPI, whichever is smaller; it cannot decrease. Note: Vermont started indexing in 2007 but enacted additional increases in 2014. 
 
 (2014 legislation) Virgin Islands $10.50 Virginia $7.25 Washington $11.50 $12.00 eff. 1-1-2019 $13.50 eff. 1-1-2020 Annual indexed increases began Jan. 1, 2020. (ballot measure 2016) West Virginia $8.75 Wisconsin $7.25 Wyoming $5.15 
 
 Sources: U.S. Dept. of Labor, http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm; and state web sites. 
 
 Notes 
 
 1 American Samoa: The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-28) sets minimum wage rates within American Samoa and provides for additional increases in the minimum wage of $0.50 per hour each year on May 25, until reaching the minimum wage generally applicable in the United States. The wage rates are set for particular industries, not for an employee's particular occupation. The rates are minimum rates; an employer may choose to pay an employee at a rate higher than the rate(s) for its industry. 
 
 2 California: The minimum wage scheduled increases are delayed by one year for employers with 25 or fewer employees. The rate increases to $10.50 per hour effective 1/1/2018 and is increased by $1.00 increments annually until it reaches $15.00 effective 1/1/2023 
 
 3 Connecticut: The Connecticut minimum wage rate automatically increases to 1/2 of 1 percent above the rate set in the Fair Labor Standards Act if the Federal minimum wage rate equals or becomes higher than the State minimum. 
 
 4 The Maine minimum wage is automatically replaced with the Federal minimum wage rate if it is higher than the State minimum. 
 
 5 The Massachusetts minimum wage rate automatically increases to 10 cents above the rate set in the Fair Labor Standards Act if the Federal minimum wage equals or becomes higher than the State minimum. 
 
 6 Minnesota: With the passage of H.B. 2091 (2014), the annual sales volume threshold was reduced to $500,000. For large employers, with an annual sales volume of $500,000 or more, the minimum wage is currently $9.50; for small employers, those with an annual sales volume of less than $500,000, the minimum wage is $7.75. 
 
 7 Missouri - In addition to the exemption for federally covered employment, the law exempts, among others, employees of a retail or service business with gross annual sales or business done of less than $500,000. 
 
 8 Montana: the $4.00 rate applies to businesses with gross annual sales of $110,000 or less; $8.15 applies to all others. 
 
 9 Nevada: $8.25 without health benefits; $7.25 with health benefits. 
 
 10 New York: The new minimum wage varies across the state based on geographical location and, in New York City, employer size. 
 
 New York Minimum Wage Year NYC Large Employers (11 or more employees) NYC Small Employers (10 or fewer employees) Ny Downstate (Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties) 12/31/2017 $13.00 $12.00 $11.00 12/31/2018 $15.00 $13.50 $12.00 12/31/2019 -- $15.00 $13.00 12/31/2020 -- -- $14.00 12/31/2021 -- -- $15.00 
 
 11 Ohio: $7:25 for employers grossing $299,000 or less 
 
 12 Oklahoma: Employers of ten or more full time employees at any one location and employers with annual gross sales over $100,000 irrespective of number of full time employees are subject to federal minimum wage; all others are subject to state minimum wage of $2.00 (OK ST T. 40 § 197.5). 
 
 13 Oregon: In addition to the new standard minimum wage rate, SB 1532 sets out a higher rate for employers located in the urban growth boundary, and a lower rate for employers located in nonurban counties. Their respective planned increases are below. 
 
 Oregon Minimum Wage Year Portland Metro Nonurban Counties 7/1/2016 $9.75 $9.50 7/1/2017 $11.25 $10.00 7/1/2018 $12.00 $10.50 7/1/2019 $12.50 $11.00 7/1/2020 $13.25 $11.50 7/1/2021 $14.00 $12.00 7/1/2022 $14.75 $12.50 7/1/2023 $1.25 over standard min. wage $1 below standard min. wage 
 
 14 Puerto Rico: Employers covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are subject to the Federal minimum wage of $7.25. Employers not covered by the FLSA will be subject to a minimum wage that is at least 70 percent of the Federal minimum wage or the applicable mandatory decree rate of $5.08, whichever is higher. The Secretary of Labor and Human Resources may authorize a rate based on a lower percentage for any employer who can show that implementation of the 70 percent rate would substantially curtail employment in that business. 
 
 
 
 Other Exceptions ||||| NEW YORK (AP) — Police handcuffed several protesters in New York and Detroit on Thursday as they blocked traffic in the latest attempt to escalate their efforts to get McDonald's, Burger King and other fast-food companies to pay their employees at least $15 an hour. 
 
 The protests, which are planned by labor organizers for about 150 cities nationwide throughout Thursday, are part of the "Fight for $15" campaign. Since the protests began in late 2012, organizers have switched up their tactics every few months. 
 
 Before Thursday's protests, organizers said they planned to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience to draw more attention to the cause. In the past, supporters have showed up at a McDonald's shareholder meeting and held strikes. The idea of civil disobedience arose in July when 1,300 workers held a convention in Chicago. 
 
 The movement, which is backed financially by the Service Employees International Union and others, has gained national attention at a time when the wage gap between the poor and the rich has become a hot political issue. Many fast-food workers do not make much more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, which adds up to about $15,000 a year for 40 hours a week. 
 
 President Barack Obama mentioned the campaign earlier this week at a Labor Day appearance in Milwaukee. 
 
 "There's a national movement going on made up of fast food workers organizing to lift wages so they can provide for their families with pride and dignity," Obama said, as he pushed Congress to raise the minimum wage. "If I were busting my butt in the service industry and wanted an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, I'd join a union." 
 
 The National Restaurant Association, on the other hand, said in a statement that the protests are an attempt by unions to "boost their dwindling membership." The industry lobbying group said it hopes organizers will be respectful to customers and workers during the protests. 
 
 Union organizers said they expected hundreds to show up to Thursday's protests around the country. Previously, turnout has been fairly minimal in many places. 
 
 By late Thursday morning, protesters in some cities were standing in front of fast-food restaurants, chanting for higher pay and holding signs in both English and Spanish. 
 
 In New York, at least three people wearing McDonald's uniforms were hauled away by police officers after standing in the middle of a busy street near Times Square. About two dozen protesters were handcuffed in Detroit after they wouldn't move out of a street near a McDonald's restaurant. In Chicago, a couple of buses unloaded a group in front of a McDonald's restaurant, chanting "Stand up. Fight Back," while 100 people crowded on the sidewalk/ 
 
 Prospero Sanchez, who was at the McDonald's in New York, said the $11.50 per hour that he gets making pizzas at a Domino's Pizza restaurant is not enough to support him, his wife and two kids. He has worked at the same restaurant for 14 years, when he made $5 an hour. 
 
 He has asked his bosses for more money. "They said no," Sanchez, 32, said. 
 
 --- 
 
 David Runk in Detroit and Candice Choi in New York contributed to this report.
– Dozens of protesters have been arrested in at least two cities so far today during nationwide protests seeking $15 an hour for fast-food workers, reports the AP. At least three people in McDonald's work clothes in New York's Times Square and about two dozen demonstrators at a Detroit Mickey D's were handcuffed and taken away because they were blocking traffic, cops say. Protesters in about 150 cities are participating in the Fight for $15 campaign, according to union organizers who planned the event. The current minimum hourly wage in Michigan is $8.15; in New York, it's $8, reports the National Conference of State Legislatures. About 100 protesters—some wearing T-shirts that simply said "$15," as per Mashable—convened in the parking lot of a Detroit McDonald's, spilling out onto a nearby street, where police reportedly asked them to leave, reports the Detroit News. When they wouldn't, the cuffs came out. "They were in a traffic lane … and preventing people from getting by,” one local sergeant says. “There was no force used by our officers and no resistance from the protesters.” Although the National Restaurant Association says unions are just trying to "boost their dwindling membership," protesters say their beef is strictly with not being able to afford to live. A Detroit mom tells the News that she's "asking for a living wage, not a minimum wage—I have to put gas in my car. I don’t want to have to decide if I’m going to pay [the energy bill] or my rent."