California Okays $15 Minimum Wage

A deal to raise California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022 was reached Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown and state legislators. The deal makes the nation’s largest state the first to lift base earnings to that level.

The increase will boost the wages of about 6.5 million California residents, or 43% of the state’s workforce, who earn less than $15. The proposal, which had been headed to a statewide referendum, is now expected to be approved by the state assembly.

“This plan raises the minimum wage in a careful and responsible way and provides some flexibility if economic and budgetary conditions change,” stated Brown. The governor can temporarily suspend the hikes in the event of poor economic conditions or a large budget deficit.

About a dozen cities have approved bumps in their minimum wages to $15, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and several other municipalities in California.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a $15 pay floor for New York City starting in 2019 and across the state by 2021. A plan is already in place to hike wages for quick-service and state government workers in both New York City and the state.