Alameda County considers $30 minimum wage that could become nation's highest
Alameda County mulls setting $30 minimum wage
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors is considering whether to establish a $30 minimum wage.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Alameda County Board of Supervisors is considering whether to establish a $30 minimum wage, which could become the highest in the nation.
Board to decide next steps
What we know:
The board is meeting Tuesday to decide whether to adopt the measure outright, as allowed under state law, or place it before voters on the November ballot.
Supporters of the "Living Wage for All" proposal said they gathered more than 100,000 signatures in support of raising the county's minimum wage in unincorporated parts of the county.
"This campaign was built by workers, one conversation at a time, without the corporate firms that usually run ballot measures," said Saru Jayaraman, President of the group One Fair Wage. "More than 100,000 people signed on because they know exactly what it costs to live here."
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Supporters cite rising cost of living
What they're saying:
Backers of the proposal said a higher minimum wage would help workers struggling with the Bay Area's high cost of living, inflation and soaring interest rates.
"If you look at the last six years since the pandemic, the rate of inflation is more than double what it's been over the last 75 years," Jayaraman said previously.
Wage increase would be phased in
Alameda County's current minimum wage is $16.90 an hour.
Under the proposal, the increase to $30 an hour would be phased in over time. Businesses with 100 or more employees would be required to reach the new wage by 2030. Smaller businesses would have 10 years to comply.
Oakland measure also proposed
Supporters are also working to place a similar "Living Wage for All" measure on Oakland's November ballot.
If approved, Oakland's minimum wage would increase from the current $17.24 an hour to $30 an hour gradually.