News & Updates: More Changes to California’s Minimum Wage?

Most California employers know that California’s minimum wage went up to $9.00/hour as of July 1, 2014 and is scheduled to go up again on January 1, 2016 to $10.00/hour. But that may change.

On December 1, 2014, State Senator Mark Leno introduced a new bill regarding California’s  minimum wage, which instead would increase California’s minimum wage to $11.00/hour in 2016 and $13.00/hour in 2017, with subsequent annual increases tied to inflation.

Although this bill may die in committee (as a similar bill did last year), given the trend of California cities adopting higher minimum wages than state law, this new bill may garner more support. Employers should watch out for news on this bill’s progress in order to plan for 2016 labor budgets.