Assembly OKs $1 increase in minimum wage
- STEVE LAWRENCE, Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO (AP) --
California's minimum wage would climb to $7.75 an hour under legislation that was approved by the state Assembly on Wednesday, an increase supporters said would still leave roughly 1 million workers with poverty-level pay.
The measure by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Santa Clara, would raise the wage from $6.75 to $7.25 an hour starting Jan. 1, 2005, and to $7.75 on Jan. 1, 2006.
It was sent to the Senate by a 45-29 vote.
The bill's supporters said the other West Coast states have higher minimum wages than California and the minimum wages in Oregon and Washington increase with inflation. California's minimum wage would have to be $8.92 an hour if it were tied to the cost of living.
Washington's minimum wage is $7.16, Alaska's is $7.15 and Oregon's is $7.05. The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour.
"You try to live on $6.75 an hour, even $7 or $8 an hour," said one of the bill's supporters, Assemblyman Manny Diaz, D-San Jose. "In my (district) nobody can live on anything less than $15 an hour. That's why many wage earners have two jobs."
But opponents contended that forcing up wages would result in higher prices and actually harm low-wage families.
"The free market does work and we do have startup jobs," said Assemblyman Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark. "Not every job in California is supposed to be able to provide for a family of four."
However, Lieber said most minimum-wage workers are their families' major wage earners and that keeping the wage low means higher costs for government programs for the poor. "When wages are kept low, taxpayers make up the difference."
Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, taunted the bill's supporters, saying if they followed the courage of their convictions they would propose a minimum wage of $20 an hour.
"Twenty dollars an hour is $40,000 a year," he said. "That's what we should be paying everybody regardless of what their education is, what their skill level is. We in government can make that happen by ordering people to do it. They will either do it or go out of business. They will either do it or move out of this state."
Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said increasing the minimum wage would help the economy by giving low-wage workers more money to spend. "Let's make work rewarding. Let's allow people to support themselves and their families."
- STEVE LAWRENCE, Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO (AP) --
California's minimum wage would climb to $7.75 an hour under legislation that was approved by the state Assembly on Wednesday, an increase supporters said would still leave roughly 1 million workers with poverty-level pay.
The measure by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Santa Clara, would raise the wage from $6.75 to $7.25 an hour starting Jan. 1, 2005, and to $7.75 on Jan. 1, 2006.
It was sent to the Senate by a 45-29 vote.
The bill's supporters said the other West Coast states have higher minimum wages than California and the minimum wages in Oregon and Washington increase with inflation. California's minimum wage would have to be $8.92 an hour if it were tied to the cost of living.
Washington's minimum wage is $7.16, Alaska's is $7.15 and Oregon's is $7.05. The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour.
"You try to live on $6.75 an hour, even $7 or $8 an hour," said one of the bill's supporters, Assemblyman Manny Diaz, D-San Jose. "In my (district) nobody can live on anything less than $15 an hour. That's why many wage earners have two jobs."
But opponents contended that forcing up wages would result in higher prices and actually harm low-wage families.
"The free market does work and we do have startup jobs," said Assemblyman Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark. "Not every job in California is supposed to be able to provide for a family of four."
However, Lieber said most minimum-wage workers are their families' major wage earners and that keeping the wage low means higher costs for government programs for the poor. "When wages are kept low, taxpayers make up the difference."
Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, taunted the bill's supporters, saying if they followed the courage of their convictions they would propose a minimum wage of $20 an hour.
"Twenty dollars an hour is $40,000 a year," he said. "That's what we should be paying everybody regardless of what their education is, what their skill level is. We in government can make that happen by ordering people to do it. They will either do it or go out of business. They will either do it or move out of this state."
Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said increasing the minimum wage would help the economy by giving low-wage workers more money to spend. "Let's make work rewarding. Let's allow people to support themselves and their families."
