A tentative agreement about the fiery issue of raising the minimum wage in the state to $15 an hour has been reached in California, with lawmakers and labor unions finding a common ground about the controversial and highly debated issue.
According to sources, who have opted to remain anonymous, the state's lawmakers and labor union leaders have agreed on a gradual wage increase to be implemented, with the minimum wage to be increased to $10.50 next year. Raises would then be enacted year after year until 2012, when the state's minimum wage would reach $15 an hour.
Small businesses across the state need not worry, though, since the agreement also includes a provision which gives small businesses until 2023 to follow the $15 minimum wage requirement.
California currently enjoys a $10 minimum rate for employees, which is already one of the better entry-level wages compared to other states. By agreeing to the tentative deal, the state is now poised to become one of the most progressive parts of the United States when it comes to the wages of its workers.
The formal announcement of the tentative deal is allegedly set for Monday, with Gov. Jerry Brown formally announcing and declaring the results of the agreement.
The sudden agreement reached by the lawmakers and the labor unions is said to be motivated by the unions' initiative to take the issue to the public in the upcoming polls.
Gov. Brown signed a minimum wage increase in 2013, but lately, he had become quite hesitant when asked to explore the issue further. Thus, a number of unions, some of which are the most powerful in the country, have announced a series of initiatives to take the issue directly to voters.
Just last week, one of two union-backed initiatives was qualified and was approved for the upcoming polls in November. Previous surveys have shown that the majority of Californians approve of the wage increase, and if given free rein over its implementation, the public might even suggest a more sweeping variation of the wage increase. Thus, between dealing with a possible demand from the public and compromising with labor unions, the state's lawmakers seem to have clearly opted for the latter.
The issue of raising the minimum wage in America has been a very notable topic in the 2016 presidential elections. Both Democratic hopefuls, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, have expressed their support for the wage increase while Republican front-runner Donald Trump has expressed his disagreement over the initiative.
