CALIFORNIA: A task force appointed by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson recommended that the minimum wage in Sacramento be raised to $12.50 an hour by 2020.The task force’s recommendation will be presented to the City Council for approval next month. The increase, which is lower than minimum wage laws approved in Los Angeles and San Francisco, would be phased in over the next five years.
Participants in a “Fight for fifteen” rally in April gather in front of a Sacramento McDonald’s restaurant as part of a nationwide campaign for raising the minimum wage. Participants in a “Fight for fifteen” rally in April gather in front of a Sacramento McDonald’s restaurant as part of a nationwide campaign for raising the minimum wage.The recommendation includes exemptions for “total compensation,” meaning employers can pay a lower hourly wage if they can prove their employees’ total pay is at least $15 an hour.
That exemption is aimed specifically at businesses that have employees who earn tips on top of a base hourly wage.While restaurant owners spoke favorably of the exemption, unions and groups representing low-income families said it would take advantage of some low-wage earners.The increase will include a delay for small businesses, but the timing of the delay and the size of the affected businesses is still being worked out. Johnson said the proposal is “a balanced plan.
