California Union Leads Statewide Minimum Wage Increase Initiative
The Los Angeles Daily News reported on a proposed ballot measure to incrementally increase the California state minimum wage from its current rate of $9.00 per hour to $15.00 per hour by 2021. SEIU United Healthcare Workers West is leading the effort, seeking passage of this ballot measure in November 2016. The union recently filed state paperwork to launch “The Fair Wage Act of 2016,” allowing them to begin the process of collecting signatures for qualification.
SEIU-UHW’s undertaking expands the trend of examining wage increases in some of California’s major metropolises. Lawmakers in San Francisco and Oakland are considering raising their cities’ minimum wage rates, and the Los Angeles City Council just approved increasing the local minimum wage to $15.00 by 2019.
These efforts reflect a wave of similar proposals in cities and states across the U.S. A poll released by the National Employment Law Project found that 63% of Americans support a nationwide minimum wage increase to $15 by 2020.
Furthermore, CBS News reported that 29 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages that surpass the federal rate, which is currently $7.25. Twenty-one cities and counties have also followed suit.
Employees across the U.S. are due at least $7.25 per hour, in line with the federal minimum wage. The attorneys in Sommers Schwartz’s Employment Litigation Group have handled hundreds of wage disputes, and are prepared to speak with you should you suspect wage theft in your workplace — please contact us today.
Kevin Stoops is an experienced trial attorney who appears frequently in Michigan state courts and federal courts across the United States, representing clients in complex business litigation. He has vast experience and a track record of successful outcomes high-dollar matters involving trade secret, business tort, intellectual property, executive employment, and class action claims.