S.F. to put $15 minimum wage on ballot

[KamaAina]

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-to-put-15-minimum-wage-on-ballot-5542191.php

San Francisco voters will be asked to gradually raise the city's minimum wage over the next four years until it's the highest in the nation at $15 an hour in 2018, under a deal finalized Tuesday.

The mayor, city supervisors and business and labor leaders came together on the compromise - even the Chamber of Commerce was on hand - but service industry representatives warned the plan would be hard on restaurants and other hospitality-related businesses.

The compromise announced at City Hall would increase the city's current hourly base pay, $10.74, to $12.25 next May 1, then to $13 in July 2016 and $1 each subsequent year until it reaches $15 in 2018. That would bring the annual pay for a full-time minimum-wage worker to $31,000....

"I can't tell you how happy I am - San Francisco is yet again setting the bar on workers' rights," said Supervisor Jane Kim, who helped broker the deal. "All San Francisco employers will be paying $15 an hour by 2018 - there will be no tip credit, no health care credit. These are pure wages workers will be bringing home to their families."

The only downside: Seattle beat us to it. Again.

[TBF]

1. "at $15 an hour in 2018" -

When I posted about Seattle in Socialist Progressives someone rightly noticed that the wages wouldn't actually increase for a # of years.

The wages are too damned LOW, and increasing them years in the future is not the answer. They need to be increased today.

[KamaAina]

2. In SF, it goes up to 12.25 next May

that's about as quick as you can get it done (implement regs, etc.).

[TBF]

3. It's crazy isn't it -

something tells me the bureaucracy would move quicker if they were cutting wages or firing people.

I agree it's better than nothing at all, but not by much. Of course to get more we're going to need a lot more action in this country. Large strikes etc.