WORKERS in Los Angeles experienced a minimum wage increase on Friday, July 1.
The city’s minimum wage increased from $15 per hour to $16.04 per hour for all covered employees. For unincorporated areas of LA County, the increase goes to $15.96.
The increase applies to all businesses, regardless of size.
Those experiencing an increase are full-time, part-time, seasonal or temporary employees who perform at least two hours of work in any week within Los Angeles.
Workers, regardless of immigration or work status, will be covered by the hike.
The increase was made official on February 1 and is in accordance with the Los Angeles Municipal Code, which states that on July 1, 2022, and annually thereafter, the minimum wage will increase based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Over 600,000 workers in Los Angeles are said to receive a pay increase through the wage boost, according to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s office.
The County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs said staff will conduct on-site visits to businesses to share the new wage laws and compliance.
In June 2015, Garcetti led the coalition to sign the wage increase into law, raising the City’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020 and making Los Angeles the first big city in America to implement such a change.
“We fought to raise the minimum wage because hard work should always be met with the dignity, respect, and opportunity that fair pay brings,” Garcetti said in February. “Our decision to end poverty wages in L.A. caused a ripple effect across the nation, and this additional increase is the latest reason to celebrate today – and a reminder of how our fight for better wages is far from finished.” (AJPress)
