With inflation on the rise and ordinary people finding it more challenging every day to stretch their dollar as far as it can go, every dollar in your pocket counts. That’s why it’s important especially now to ensure that the minimum wage earned by working people goes far enough to cover all of everyday life’s basic expenses.
Yet that is precisely what California state officials failed to do—at least, according to a lawsuit recently filed by supporters of a proposed ballot measure that would have put the decision before California voters in this November’s elections whether to raise the state’s minimum wage rate to $18 an hour. Due to a series of technical missteps, including what its proponents claim was California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber’s use of an incorrect deadline for certification of the proposed ballot initiative, the measure will not appear on your ballot this fall.
It’s unclear at this time how the lawsuit against the Secretary of State will proceed or whether advocates of an $18 minimum wage will be able to take another shot at passing the measure later down the line, potentially during the next statewide elections in late 2024. What is clear is that working people and their supporters will have to look to other ways to protect the value of the wages they earn in the meantime.
To that end, here is a list of some questions you might have about California’s minimum wage, where it stands now, where it’s going, and how you can best protect yourself from corner-cutting employers trying to avoid paying what’s owed.
What is the minimum wage, and when does my employer owe it to me?
Who is required to be paid minimum wage in California?
What is the current minimum wage rate in California, and when will it increase next?
What if I live in a part of the State with higher costs of living?
How do I know if I’m being paid minimum wage for all my work?
If you have any questions about anything discussed in this newsletter or believe that you may have a claim against your employer, feel free to contact us at (323) 205-7796 for further information.