Breaking: Los Angeles To Raise Minimum Wage To $15 After Repeated Protests
Los Angeles will incrementally increase its minimum wage to $15 by 2020, after activists have been protesting for over a year, as this photo shows.
After more than a year of protests by grassroots activists, today the Los Angeles City Council voted 14-1 to increase the minimum wage to $15. The increase will take place over a five-year period, with the $15 minimum being reached in 2020.
Minimum wage in California is $9, and that will go up to $10 in January. As The Guardian reports, though, in Los Angeles, “the city’s minimum wage would increase to $10.50 in July 2016, and would increase incrementally every year until it reaches $15 in July 2020. For small businesses with 25 or fewer employees, the wage hike would come on a modified schedule with the incremental increases starting in July 2017 and the minimum wage reaching $15 by July 2021.”
Last month, more than 60,000 workers walked off their jobs to protest nationwide. Nearly one year ago, activists like the ones in the photo above, protested in L.A. with Democratic Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Today, Los Angeles moved forward to help working families move out of poverty and earn a living wage http://t.co/QEmkkRWX76 #RaiseTheWageLA
— Sen Kevin de Leόn (@kdeleon) May 19, 2015
@CurrenDPriceJr @ericgarcetti started the process to #RaiseTheWageLA. Council will now cause the law to be written. pic.twitter.com/sJtHp6u3IK
— rickjacobs (@rickjacobs) May 19, 2015
BREAKING: LA will raise min wage to $15 by 2020. 40% of workers earn <$15 now, so this is a HUGE win! http://t.co/2ZPkNMaO89 #FightFor15
— SEIU (@SEIU) May 19, 2015
It’s going to take Los Angeles till 2020 to increase the minimum wage to $15/hour? I can’t imagine trying to live on $15/hour NOW.
— Chris Bucky Barnes (@TheBarnesology) May 19, 2015
They can afford it: https://t.co/WGudftnDG7 | Tell McDonald’s it’s time for $15! http://t.co/0picrP3ENK #FightFor15
— 1199SEIU Mass. (@1199mass) May 19, 2015
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Image by Eric Garcetti via Flickr and a CC license
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