San Jose's Measure D, raises the minimum wage to $10

Silicon Valley Mercury News/John Woolfolk, 11/10/12.  "San Jose measure boosts efforts to raise minimum wages."

Higher minimum wage is a happy meal deal

San Jose's overwhelming approval of Measure D, making it the most populous city to adopt a higher minimum wage than state or federal requirements, has given a boost to labor advocates seeking to raise the pay floor for workers around the country.

Students and labor leaders who campaigned to raise minimum wages in San Jose are hearing from activists from Los Angeles to Eureka interested in similar measures for those cities. And they say the measure's approval by 59 percent of San Jose voters adds pressure on state and federal lawmakers for broader minimum-wage hikes.   

....  Many states forbid their cities from adopting their own minimum wages and only a few others nationwide have done so: Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico; Washington, D.C.; and San Francisco, Kern said. Voters in Albuquerque this week raised a minimum wage the city had established in 2006. And Long Beach, Calif., voters just voted to raise the minimum wage for hotel workers. 

 ....  The federal hourly minimum wage is $7.25, although a bill introduced this year in Congress would raise it to $9.80 by 2014 with inflation adjustments. President Obama has expressed support for a minimum-wage increase. California's hourly minimum wage is $8 and the highest state rate is $9.04 in Washington, which will increase to $9.19 in January. When it takes effect in March, the San Jose measure will establish a $10 hourly minimum wage citywide with automatic inflation adjustments. The San Francisco hourly minimum will be $10.55 next year.  Read article.

Related -CBS News, 11/7/12, "San Jose voters approve minimum wage increase", includes an audio report, 39 seconds.  Think progress/Travis Waldon, 8/2/12.  "One in four American workers will be in low-wage jobs for the next decade"

Posted by Kathy Meeh