Stay up to date on coronavirus coverage: Listen to WMFE on your radio, the WMFE mobile app or your smart speaker — say “Alexa, play NPR” or “WMFE” and you’ll be connected.

Universal Orlando recently announced a wage hike for starting hourly employees. Base pay will step up from $9 to $9.50 on June 1^st  of this year, then to $10  in June 2016. Universal’s announcement follows in Walt Disney World’s footsteps. The Orlando theme park giant is also set to raise starting pay for most positions to $10 by next year.

90.7’s economic analyst Hank Fishkind says the raises are a positive move in a state where the minimum wage is $8.05 an hour, which is higher than the federal minimum of $7.25, but still not keeping up with the cost of living.