The Supervisors are expected to cast the final vote in support of the ordinance in the coming months. The wage increase would apply to all nonprofits and businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county, beginning with an increase to $10.50 per hour next year.
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As outlined, the wage would increase in steps until it hits $15 an hour in 2020.
“I have struggled to make ends meet, even missing auto payments because I make low wages with unpredictable hours”, said Kierra Phillips, a fast food worker and mother in unincorporated Los Angeles County (Altadena). The County’s Chief Executive Office officials will determine the rate annually on January 1.
The governor has not said whether he backs increasing the wage to $15, but his Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul, attended several rallies held at the wage board’s meetings by advocates of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
The confusion surrounding the minimum wage ordinance centers around the tip credit, which is the amount an employer doesn’t have to pay a tipped employee, versus base pay, which is what the employer is required to pay. This cost-shifting forces taxpayers to shoulder more than $900 million in public costs, which essentially amounts to a subsidy to fast-food’s low-wage business model.
UC Berkeley Spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said in an email statement last week the city of Berkeley’s minimum wage increase also excluded nonprofit organizations, like the university.
The minimum wage issue, as you’ll recall, is a signature piece of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s campaign to bridge the income inequality gap – a message he has preached not only here in the Empire State, but across the country. “Worse, they teach folks that ultimately we need not organize – except to ask the state to change things for us”, he argues. Johnson said he expects the supervisors to discuss the minimum wage promptly at 10 a.m. With a majority vote, Supervisors Hilda Solis and Ridley-Thomas will direct county staff to gather more information about the county’s legal authority to patrol wage theft. “There’s no way we can increase profit through private payers”. The increase for county employees passed 4-1, with Antonovich dissenting.
“I think it will put those businesses at a distinct disadvantage and people will now shop in town”, he said. “They’ve lost two large supermarkets and an abundance of fast food restaurants which is a loss of jobs”, Crain said. The burden of these higher wages is going to fall on mom and pops who are already overtaxed physically and emotionally and overburdened financially. They will have to close their facility in this town of Val Verde, which is an impoverished community within L.A. County in the fifth district. It is learnt that those opposing the federal minimum wage are big and small businesses.
“I’m a little disillusioned by running my business for over 20 years”, he said. I can barely get food.
A coalition of fast-food franchisees has hired bare-knuckles lawyer Randy Mastro to stop a statewide wage hike for their workers.
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“My concern has always been that we are able to hire and create jobs here in Los Angeles County”, Knabe said, adding that much of the county’s job creation comes from small businesses. I don’t think so.
