LOS ANGELES - Earlier this week, the Los Angeles City Council voted 13-1 for the ordinance that will raise the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour by 2020, plus an additional one-year "phase in" period for small businesses, bringing all workers to $15.00 by 2021. Councilmember Krekorian voted for the ordinance and played a leadership role in shaping the legislation.Wage increases for employees who work at large businesses (more than 25 workers) will begin on July 1, 2016. Starting in 2022, the minimum wage will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index for the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
"Los Angeles is taking the lead in the national dialogue on income inequality," said Krekorian. "This historic vote will lift 800,000 hardworking, low-wage employees out of poverty and give people hope for a better future. It will also help our local economy by putting almost $6 billion more a year into working people's pockets, money they can spend in their communities at mom and pop businesses on the corner. Instead of sitting by and watching the race to the bottom that is devastating the middle-class, we took action to raise up our residents and ourcity."