Give credit to the “Fight for $15” movement to raise the minimum wage. When the union-backed campaign got started a few years ago, the minimum wage was low on the political agenda, and $15 an hour seemed laughable. Today, several cities, including Los Angeles and Seattle, have adopted $15 an hour ordinances (they will phase in over the next few years), and more look likely to do so. A headline like “California reaches deal on $15 minimum wage” now seems almost routine.
But make no mistake: California’s decision is a big deal. To date, nearly all the places that have adopted $15 minimum wages are big coastal cities where costs of living are high and most workers already earn well above $15 an hour. California’s proposed wage hike, which the state legislatureapproved Thursday and Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign next week, is different. It would apply to the whole state, including poorer cities like Fresno and sparsely populated rural areas in the northern and eastern parts of the state. (California’s current minimum wage of $10 an hour is already tied with Massachusetts for the highest of any state.)
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