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A sturdy and soft-spoken 15-year-old West Mesa High School student, Victor Rivera spends his weekends working 11-hour shifts on a construction site outside Albuquerque.

He says he gives all the money to his mother, and she uses it to buy the basics for the family, which includes four other children.

"When I get money, I help my Mom," Victor said.

Fortunately for the young student, that financial equation is going to get a little easier shortly. The Bernalillo County Commission signed off on a minimum wage increase Tuesday, bumping up the $5.15 figure to $6.75 effective Jan. 13.

The wage, which will mirror Albuquerque's minimum, jumps to $7.15 on Jan. 1, 2008, and to $7.50 on Jan. 1, 2009. Employers who provide at least $2,500 worth of health care or child care benefits will be required to pay similar graduated increases, but the wages will be $1 less per hour.

The increase passed 3-0, with the support of commissioners Alan Armijo, Teresa Cordova and Deanna Archuleta. Commissioners Tim Cummins and Michael Brasher were out of town and attending to family matters, respectively.

After the passage, a small celebration interrupted the meeting, with about two dozen supporters wearing red shirts that read "Hard Work Deserves Fair Pay," swarming up to the dais to shake hands with the commissioners.

Armijo, who sponsored the measure, said the experience in Santa Fe and Albuquerque proves that a higher wage won't hurt the economy. Nobody complains when they get a raise, he said, adding, "I don't see why it's different for minimum wage."