LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- Evan Patterson had heard it was coming but did not know the specifics.
He just began work at the Marc's in Lakewood, pushing carts and handling other duties.
Patterson is one of about 277,000 Ohio workers who will get a small pay hike because of an increase in the minimum wage.
It goes from $7.95 an hour to $8.10 an hour, a 15-cent boost.
"That's cool. It helps my family out a little more. It helps me out a little more," he said.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Nineteen states and some cities have rates higher than Ohio's, some going up to $15 an hour.
Kenneth Cooper used to work minimum wage jobs.
" I started out at 75 cents an hour working farms in West Virginia and was glad to get it," he said.
He regards the minimum wage as a starting point for those beginning their working lives.
Sonny Dawson has also held minimum wage jobs, in a factory and washing dishes.
"It went up when I was on minimum wage jobs. You can actually feel a small difference," he said.
But many minimum wage workers are adults who have lost better-paying jobs.
And even with welfare and food stamps, it's hard to raise a family.
That's why there's been a push by fast food and retail workers to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.
Opponents claim a hike will mean employers will hire fewer workers.
With the increase, a 40-hour-per-week minimum wage worker in Ohio would get $6 more per week, enough for more than three gallons of gas at current prices.
