A union-backed proposal to raise California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour was cleared Monday to begin collecting signatures for a ballot initiative next year as local efforts continue nationwide to boost the minimum wage to better reflect the cost of living.
The proposal by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West would increase California’s minimum wage by $1 an hour annually until it reaches $15 an hour in 2021. California’s current $9 hourly wage, among the highest in the country, is set to increase to $10 next year.
It’s the latest in a nationwide effort by unions and other groups to raise the wage. The cities of Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley have approved phased-in increases to eventually take their minimum wage to $15 an hour, and the University of California system and Los Angeles County have adopted similar plans.
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