'We just had a minimum wage increase very recently,' Pugh said, noting that the last increase came in 2006.ДЄnd, Pugh said, the bill also would let communities set their own minimum wages higher than the state's - a change that could result in a hodgepodge of local ordinances that would be hard for employers to keep track of and administer. 'The rich are getting richer, and the rest of us are stuck with what's left behind,' he said.Д«ut Jim Pugh, spokesman for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state's largest business group, said the state's employers have serious concerns about the bill, which would raise the minimum wage nearly 17%. It also would automatically adjust the minimum wage every year for inflation - a change Decker said is needed because the wage often goes several years without being raised.Дecker called the increase a question of economic fairness. The measure was sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston), who said many single parents are forced to rely on minimum-wage jobs. Jim Doyle said he hoped he could support the final version of the bill if it passes the Assembly, which like the Senate is controlled by Democrats. The 18-14 vote sent the bill to the Assembly, where an aide to Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan (D-Janesville) said it will be considered. Madison - The state Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would raise the minimum wage from $6.50 to $7.60 per hour - an increase that officials at the agency that administers the wage estimated would help about 225,000 workers.

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