The Los Angeles City Council passed 14-1 today a measure that would raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020. The New York Times reports that the wage increase could reverberate nationally, but it could also turn Los Angeles into a “wage island,” driving businesses outside of city limits where they could pay their employees less.
For now, though, proponents of the “living wage” both in Los Angeles and elsewhere are celebrating the council’s vote. Well, most of them.
Kshama Sawant, Seattle council member and “proud socialist,” is anxious to see the $15 minimum wage spread throughout the entire United States. Last year, Seattle’s city council voted to phase in a $15 minimum wage by 2022.
California Senator Barbara Boxer is thankful.
Sen. Boxer, meet your new constituents.
