California's Minimum Wage to Spike to $15 in Governor's Deal with Unions

Gov. Jerry Brown reportedly reached a deal with labor unions to raise California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, putting the state at the vanguard of a nationwide populist movement.

Citing unnamed sources and documents, the Los Angeles Times broke the news Saturday, noting the deal would increase the now $10 minimum wage 50 percent by 2022.

According to the Pew Research Center, the average American worker has never experienced a real wage increase due to decades-long wage stagnation. The battle to address income inequality by raising the minimum wage is being fought in cities, state legislatures and in the presidential primaries with both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton supporting a $15 minimum wage.

In California, it was the Brown administration that resisted the effort until polls showed that voters would likely force his hand at the ballot box. Last week, a measure to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2021 was approved for the November ballot.

According to the newspaper, legislators could vote on the compromise as early as next week. If the compromise passes, the minimum wage would increase by by 50 cents in 2017 and 2018, and then by $1 each year through 2022.

Those who support the minimum wage increase contend it would spur on a robust economy due to additional spending. Detractors believe it would lead to job losses and higher prices for consumers.

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