(Newswire.net — May 20, 2015) — Los Angeles, Ca. – The National Employment Law Project, a lobby group for worker rights, is triumphantly touting it is a great day for low paid workers in Los Angeles. LA has followed Seattle and San Francisco example who had already agreed to increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2017 and 2018 respectively, BBC News reported.
“Today, Los Angeles becomes the latest and largest city to throw its support behind the legions of workers who ask for nothing less than to be paid a fair and decent wage,” said Christine Owens, CEO of the Project. The new law does not mean workers will receive a 100 percent wage increase next month; the $15 minimum will be in place by July 2020. According to the new legislation, wages will be gradually increased, starting with a wage of $10.50 per hour, which will go into effect in July 2016.
Non-profit organizations with fewer than 26 workers will have a longer period to raise wages, BBC News reported.
“There’s still work to be done, but you will not see this council shy away from its responsibility,” Council President Herb Wesson said on his Twitter account.
Walmart, the United States’ largest private employer, announced in February its plans to raise wages for employees at its US stores, to at least $10 per hour. Approximately 500,000 minimum waged Wal-Mart employees in the US will be affected by February 1st, 2016, officials said.
Chicago increased its minimum from $8.25 to $10 an hour beginning in July 2015 and gradually increasing to $13 by 2019. After it hits $13 in 2019, Chicago’s minimum wage will be pegged to inflation, the Guardian reported.
Andrew Cuomo, New York’s governor, said in February that all waiting staff and others whose wages are supplemented by tips, will get a raise of their minimum wage to $7.50 an hour by the end of the year, which presents a .25 cent increase over the federal minimum wage.