CA Minimum Wage Jumps to $10 per Hour in 2016, More Increases May Be on the Horizon

With the dawn of 2016, the minimum wage in California increased by $1, jumping up to $10 per hour as of Jan. 1.¹

While various parts of the state are set to see additional increases to the minimum wage this year and/or over the next few years, California voters will have the chance to decide on further statewide increases to the minimum wage this coming November.

Important Facts about Minimum Wage: What California Workers Need to Know

The California minimum wage trumps the lower federal minimum wage – This is because, when the state and the federal minimum wage differ, workers will be entitled to the higher of the two wages. Given that the federal minimum wage has been fixed at $7.25 since 2009, California workers are entitled to the higher state minimum wage, which is now $10/hour.

• Los Angeles will see additional min. wage hikes this year and beyond – Workers in Los Angeles can expect to see another bump in their minimum wages in 2016, as the minimum wage in Los Angeles County is set to increase to $10.50 this July. Over the next few years, a series of additional increases will bring the Los Angeles minimum wage to $15/hour by 2020. It’s important to note that Los Angeles is not the only region within California to have additional minimum wage increases set for 2016 and beyond; most notably, San Diego and San Francisco counties have also approved additional minimum wage increases in the coming years.
• CA employers cannot force or trick workers in waiving their right to minimum wages – In other words, employers in California cannot get out of their obligation to pay employees the new minimum wage by, for instance, trying to get workers to sign agreements waiving their rights to such wages.

Proposals for Additional Min. Wage Hikes in California

While California employers and workers adjust to the new minimum wage in the state, within about 10 months, they will have the opportunity to decide on whether additional hikes to the minimum wage should be instituted.

That is because, this November, there will be at least two measures on the ballot, calling for incremental increases to the state minimum wage. While one of these measures proposes raising the California minimum wage to $15/hour by 2020, the other proposes the same hike by 2021.

Whether additional proposals make it onto the ballot – and whether California voters approve any additional hikes to the minimum wage – remains to be seen. As more news about these issues becomes available, we will provide the latest updates here, in a future news article. In the meantime, we encourage you to share your thoughts about the California minimum wage increases on Facebook.

Contact a Los Angeles Employment Law Attorney at the Azadian Law Group, PC

If your employer has failed to properly compensate you for your labor, contact a Los Angeles employment law attorney at the Azadian Law Group, PC, for a free case to review to find out more about your options for recovery and justice.

Call us at 626-449-4944 or send us an email via this contact form to find out more about how we can help you. If you choose to move forward with us, you will not have to pay us any legal fees until or unless compensation is secured for your case.
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1: According to the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR)

2: According to BallotPedia