Hike In Minimum Wage

Sacramento, CA — The hourly rate is now officially $10 in California that is a dollar raise.

On Jan 1, California and 14 other states; including Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia increased their minimum wage.  The federal government has not followed this trend as the minimum wage has remained at $7.25 for more than six years.  That reflects the controversy surrounding the wage issue in the country. Critics argue the increase will raise costs for small businesses, forcing them to cut workers hours or even jobs.  Advocates counter that it will put more money in workers pockets, which will give them more money to spend, benefiting the overall economy.

The last raise for minimum wage workers in California was July 1, 2014 when the rate went up a dollar from $8 to $9.  (Click here to see a history of the state’s minimum wage increases.) California along with Alaska, Massachusetts, and Nebraska had the largest wage hikes at a dollar an hour each.