LA City Council Votes to Raise Minimum Wage
Los Angeles City Council members voted in favor of a minimum-wage hike from its current $9 per hour to $15 per hour by 2020.
The next step is for the City Attorney’s Office to draft an ordinance that will need to be approved by the council.
If approved, the increases would be made incrementally beginning next year. Small businesses with less than 25 employees would be exempt until 2021. A proposal on paid time off has been put on hold for now.
Since Mayor Eric Garcetti first proposed raising the city’s minimum wage last year, the issue has drawn sharp criticism among the apparel-manufacturing community. The recent City Council vote exceeds Garcetti’s original proposal of raising the wage to $13.25. Over the last year, there has been a national push to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. San Francisco and Seattle have raised their minimum-wage rates to $15 per hour. The federal minimum wage currently stands at $7.25.
Past coverage of the minimum wage issue:
Proposed Retail Pay Hike: Pols Campaign, Businesses Divided
What a Proposed $13.25 an Hour Minimum Wage Would Mean for LA’s Apparel Industry
