California poised to raise minimum wage to $10

[streetcry]

Governor Jerry Brown supports raising California's minimum wage to $10.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney)
[h=2]California lawmakers are poised to raise the state's minimum wage by 25% -- a move that would make the state's hourly workers among the most highly paid in the country.[/h] Millions of workers would see their hourly pay jump from $8 to $9 on July 1, 2014 and to $10 on Jan. 1, 2016, under legislation which received strong support this week from the state's Governor Jerry Brown and other legislative leaders.


"The minimum wage has not kept pace with rising costs," Brown said in a statement. "This legislation is overdue and will help families that are struggling in this harsh economy."


More than 90% of minimum-wage workers in the state are over the age of 20, while nearly 2.4 million of the state's children live in a household with a parent who earns minimum wage, according to the statement.
The proposed bump would boost afull-time worker's income by about $4,000 to around $20,000 a year, still several thousand dollars below the poverty level for a family of four.


Related: 2013 minimum wage by state
California last raised its minimum wage in 2008. If the increase is approved, the state could surpass Washington State, which at $9.19 an hour has the highest minimum wage in the nation -- although Washington's minimum wage is also set to increase at the rate of inflation each year.


States must pay at least the same as the federal minimum wage, which has been set at $7.25 an hour since 2009.


The proposal comes on the heels of a wave of protests across the country by Wal-Mart workers and fast food workers demanding higher wages. President Obama has also pushed for raising the federal minimum wage to $9, with automatic indexing to inflation.


Related: Victoria's Secret's NY workers win fight for better pay
Advocates say increasing wage rates stimulates the economy since low income workers are more likely to spend the extra cash. Meanwhile, business groups argue that wage increases can lead to job losses.


Jack Temple, policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project, a nonprofit advocacy group, said the proposed California law should set a strong precedent for other states. Many of the jobs created during the recent economic recovery have been low-wage positions, he said.


"You're seeing more adults, more families relying on low wage work to make ends meet," he said. "As that trend continues, the minimum wage is only going to become more important."

 

[Asterix]

It ‘s the job of Government to maximize the benefits
Of a minimum wage while minimising its side effects

... to be continued

 

[johnny333]

Used to work with an MNC in Spore where the HR was based in Hong Kong. One thing about the Hongkies I worked with is their professionalism. Not too surprising as many of them got their degrees from ivy league Unis in the US.

Unfortunately the company decided to shift the responsibilities to the Spore HR. Working conditions started going down hill from that point. The Spore HR seemed more interested in cutting back on employee benefits then in improving them :( Found out that the Spore HR staff came from GLCs where the policies were to suppress wages.

You can't run a country like a 3rd world sweat shop. Just look at all the people who are leaving & those who wished they had left.

 

[I_Hate_Pappies]

Sinkies are so so screwed.

 

[johnny333]

Sinkies are so so screwed.

Only those without connections are screwed.

 

[Devil Within]

It ‘s the job of Government to maximize the benefits
Of a minimum wage while minimising its side effects

You must be joking. Gov is the most inefficient organisation in the world with lots of red tapes and politicking. You want gov to run your lives, you are ruined. Gov best kept to a minimum to oversee overall law and order, that's all. If you allow them to micro manage twit this and that, there is no end to the problems they create.

 

[singveld]

minimum wages only help FT/FW. does not help sinkies, if every poor people have an increase due to the law, the buying power will be stripe away by inflation. USA politican only do it to buy votes from mexican.

 

[Asterix]

It's no damn use telling us that minimum wage has side effects
Everybody already knows, you're not paid to tell us the obvious
It is like medicine, doctor prescribes this pill to cure your flu
And another pill to control side effects of taking the first pill

Means set of well crafted and co-ordinated policies and measures
To attain the objective of social justice while avoiding or limiting
Unnecessary collateral damage, which means Lim Shit Say and Co
Will have less time to steal toothpicks and more real work to do

Without further ado, let's hear it from
Truly capable Minister and not Ministar
Who speaks proper English
And not Ah Beng Singlish

[video=youtube;gdU_WrsMMnc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdU_WrsMMnc[/video]