California is first state to approve $15 minimum wage

[Khadgar]

California has become the first state in the nation to approve a statewide $15 minimum wage.

Both the State Assembly and State Senate passed the measure on Thursday afternoon. Governor Jerry Brown said he would sign it on Monday.

"No one who is working full time in California should live in poverty due to a low wage," said Democratic State Senator Mark Leno, who cosponsored the bill.

The measure will raise the state's minimum wage to $10.50 in January and to $11 in January 2018. It will then increase by an additional $1 per hour every year until it reaches $15 in 2022. If, however, the state goes through an economic downturn or budget crisis, the governor may choose to slow the implementation.

The final bill gives small businesses, with 25 or fewer employees, an extra year to implement the increases.

About 5.6 million Californians, or about 32% of the state's workforce, currently live on the minimum wage, according to Kevin De Leon, the president pro tempore of the state senate.

Los Angeles has already agreed to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020, making it the largest city in the nation to do so

San Francisco plans to reach a $15 minimum by 2018. And other major California cities, including San Diego and Oakland, have raised their minimum wages as well.

Setting a minimum wage at $15 has plenty of critics.

"California may be the first state to pass a $15 minimum wage, but it will also be the first to find out why that's a bad idea," said Michael Saltsman, research director of the Employment Policies Institute, a conservative think tank opposed to minimum wage hikes. He argues that many businesses will have to cut staff or close because of the deal. "This pain from a $15 minimum wage will only be exacerbated in more troubled counties in the state."

http://money.cnn.com/2016/03/31/pf/c...age/index.html

[breadisfunny]

15$ by 2022.....yeah thats WAY TOO LOW. by then it will need to be 25$ per hour.

[Emjay18]

Looks like the 8th biggest economy on the planet will now slide further into the abyss due due to their following of evil liberal policies! Oh noes!

[iceberg265]

15$ by 2022.....yeah thats WAY TOO LOW. by then it will need to be 25$ per hour.

You might be being sarcastic, but you actually might be right. I think $15 might be a little bit too high at this point, but by 2022, we'll have even more inflation.

[Independent voter]

Poor Californians will move to my state to get jobs, Arizona and Oregon too.

California has more citizens than Canada. It's going to be a huge experiment.

[fengosa]

Remember how occupy wall street didn't accomplish anything? Yeah, me neither.

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You might be being sarcastic, but you actually might be right. I think $15 might be a little bit too high at this point, but by 2022, we'll have even more inflation.

Inflation is actually pretty low right now, mainly because wages have been stagnant. I wouldn't expect a noticeable raise in inflation until after this takes affect.

[breadisfunny]

Poor Californians will move to my state to get jobs, Arizona and Oregon too.

California has more citizens than Canada. It's going to be a huge experiment.

there is nothing experimental about it. either you increase wages to keep up with inflation or watch part of your population starve to death.

[GodlyBob]

Minimum wage is going to be more important as a per-county measure than as the state overall. $10.50 is plenty to live off in probably 80%-90% of the state, the problem is just that we have 60%+ of the population living in that remaining 10% of territory. 15$ an hour is necessary in these few counties, but nowhere else.

[twelvethirty]

when do i get my raise? I make that now, so i should be good for what, 25 bucks?

[fengosa]

Poor Californians will move to my state to get jobs, Arizona and Oregon too.

California has more citizens than Canada. It's going to be a huge experiment.

A lot of low level jobs aren't fungible. Convenience stores, fast food restaurants and gas station aren't leaving the state.

[Gamdwelf]

Cost if living is so high they need it.

[Wells]

15 is an entirely reasonable minimum wage for most of California. Too low in some areas in all likelihood.

[Mafic]

States that have an income tax definitely need to follow California's lead. States like Florida that do not have a state income tax on the other hand should not consider a min wage hike as it would do more harm than good.

[Deleted]

rip small businesses

[Enthusiastic Steward]

rip small businesses

To rent a two bedroom apartment, the US average is $840. For Los Angeles its $1,390. For San Jose its $1,780. For San Francisco its $2,000. (Early 2015 numbers)

Yeah, CA needs this.

If small business don't adjust their wages for the high cost of living they won't have any employees either, as nobody will be able to afford to work for them.

[Logwyn]

when do i get my raise? I make that now, so i should be good for what, 25 bucks?

Nope. You'd just become a minimum wage worker. At least that's the way businesses do things.

[Captain N]

Nope. You'd just become a minimum wage worker. At least that's the way businesses do things.

Yeah man -- I mean I'm seriously not going from $577/day currently to $617/day by 2019 when Chicago hits it's $13/hour minimum wage increase.

Maybe you're just incredibly shitty with your ability to negotiate a higher wage against the wage floor?

[Bullettime]

Interesting how long they're taking to roll out the full yield, giving themselves a measure to slow it further to boot.

By that point it's entirely possible for inflation to outscale the majority of the benefit and be back close to square one.

[Sky High]

Should have been passed a while ago. Glad I don't live in places like LA proper or SF. Should be even higher for those places.

[breadisfunny]

Yeah man -- I mean I'm seriously not going from $577/day currently to $617/day by 2019 when Chicago hits it's $13/hour minimum wage increase.

Maybe you're just incredibly shitty with your ability to negotiate a higher wage against the wage floor?

wisconsin is still at 7.25 LOL. with no prospects of increasing it anytime soon. the last bill got shot down.