The city of Los Angeles will raise its minimum wage from $15 to $16.04 beginning on July 1, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last week.
According to a KTLA news report, once this increase formally takes effect, Los Angeles will once again have a higher minimum wage than the state regulations and one of the most for any city in the United States.
City officials said that this raise is because of the recent inflation, which reached a four-decade high in December after spiking 7% over the previous year. Under the city’s municipal code, the city’s minimum earn will go up based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers in the Los Angeles metro area, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics beginning July 1, 2022, and annually after that.
Minimum Wage: Hourly Wages Increase
The Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance to increase the hourly wage for the city’s lowest-paid workers in 2015, becoming the country’s first big city to state that the minimum wage for all workers is increased to $15 per hour by 2020. The Mayor’s office stated that about 600,000 Angelenos would be affected by the change. This year, California’s minimum wage increased to $15 for companies that employ at least 26 workers becoming the first in the nation to hit that rate.
The amount will go up to $15 an hour for all businesses across the state in 2023. A Pew Research analysis shows that there are several cities within California that pay more than Los Angeles, some even above $17. West Hollywood’s city council approved a law last November that would set the minimum for all workers in that city at $17.64 in 2023.
What Does This Mean for Workers?
What this means for workers in Los Angeles is that they will be entitled to the higher wage of $16.04, even if the state minimum wage is at $15. Under the law, employers are required to pay the higher rate. It is important to note that the minimum wage rate in the city where you work is the relevant minimum wage. For example, if you live in Riverside County, but work in Los Angeles, you are entitled to the minimum wage set by Los Angeles.
If your employer is not paying you the required minimum wage rate, you may be able to seek compensation for your losses by filing a wage and hour lawsuit or by banding with other co-workers and filing a class action lawsuit. Our Los Angeles wage and hour lawyers have helped thousands of workers across Los Angeles secure compensation for wage violations. Call an experienced employment lawyer to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.
Source: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/l-a-minimum-wage-to-rise-on-july-1-mayor-garcetti-says/
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