Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last week that the city of Los Angeles will raise its minimum wage from $15 to $16.04 beginning on July 1. 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 highest for any city in the United States.
City officials said this raise is due to recent inflation, which reached a four-decade high in December after spiking 7% over the previous year. Under the city’s municipal code, the minimum wage 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. According to the mayor’s office, the change would affect about 600,000 Angelenos. 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 minimum wage will increase to $15 an hour for all businesses across the state in 2023. A Pew Research analysis shows that several cities within California 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?
This means that workers in Los Angeles will be entitled to a 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 for 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/
