Effective on New Year’s Day, 41 cities across the U.S. will be raising their minimum wage.
California, whose statewide minimum wage is already at $15, will increase to $15.50. However, 28 cities in the state are raising their minimum wage even higher. One of those cities is Cupertino, where the minimum is set to reach an impressive $17.20 an hour. Minnesota’s two biggest cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, will begin paying $15.19 an hour for minimum wage. Flagstaff, Arizona, will get a $1.30 boost, bringing the hourly pay to $16.80.
These widespread pay increases arrive after years of protesting from groups such as Fight for $15, who demand higher pay for workers nationwide. The outrageous price of goods and services and the lasting effects of COVID-19 have only strengthened their case to raise job compensation.
“The raises we are seeing are a true testament to the power of organizing,” stated Yannet Lathrop, senior researcher and policy analyst with the National Employment Law Project.
According to research by the Economic Policy Institute, these pay hikes will benefit an estimated 8.4 million workers. Unfortunately, there is still much work to be done at the federal level, which has held a minimum wage of $7.25 since 2009. Additionally, there are also 20 states with minimum wages at or below the federal minimum wage. None of them plan on raising wages at the state or city level. This includes Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, and several others.
