Minimum wage up to $7.93

Pacific Northwest

Labor

Minimum wage up to $7.93

Washington's minimum-wage workers will get a 30-cent-an-hour raise next year, an increase that boosts the state minimum hourly pay to $7.93 an hour.

The Department of Labor and Industries said Friday that the increase, which takes effect Jan. 1, likely will keep Washington's minimum wage the highest in the country.

The increase, based on a 3.9 percent rise in the index for consumer price inflation, is the biggest since indexing began in 2001. The wage rose 28 cents in 2006. The federal minimum wage is $5.15.

About 160,000 workers in Washington are paid the minimum wage, or 5 percent of the full- and part-time workforce, according to the Department of Employment Security. About 40 percent work in restaurants. Washington's minimum wage is not discounted for those who earn tips.

Boeing

Ryanair orders 32 737-800s

Ryanair, one of Boeing's best customers, placed a firm order Friday for 32 737-800s.

The Dublin-based discount carrier, with a fleet composed exclusively of 737-800s, has ordered 281 of the planes.

Its latest order is valued at $2.25 billion at list prices, though Ryanair has a mammoth deal with Boeing that gives it a big bulk-rate discount. In July, when it placed an order for 10 of the planes, it said it had options to buy 169 more.

Boeing's net order total for the year now stands at 698 jets. The Next-Generation 737 still has 1,360 unfilled orders with a value of about $91 billion at current list prices.

Secret Lair Studios

Vivendi buys game developer

Vivendi Games said it has bought Issaquah-based Secret Lair Studios, a game developer, and Studio Ch'in in Shanghai, China.

The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deals.

The acquisitions were designed to boost the role of Vivendi's Sierra Online group as a publisher of games for Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade casual-gaming service.

Nastech

FDA gets data on osteoporosis drug

Nastech Pharmaceutical said Friday it has submitted a formal response to the Food and Drug Administration's concerns about its generic calcitonin nasal spray for osteoporosis.

The Bothell company said it completed several laboratory studies showing the drug did not have adverse reactions with its chosen preservative, chlorobutanol.

The FDA rejected Nastech's application to market the nasal-spray formulation in July, out of concerns that the combination of the drug and preservative could cause allergic reactions. The name-brand calcitonin, MiaCalcin, uses a different preservative.

If the FDA isn't satisfied with the test results, it could ask the company to run additional clinical trials.

Compiled by Seattle Times business staff