Pinoys Air Views on LA’s Upcoming Minimum Wage
By Steve Angeles, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
LOS ANGELES – Minimum wage workers in the country’s second biggest city are one step closer to a bigger pay day.
The Los Angeles City Council approved a measure to increase the city’s minimum wage from $9 an hour to $15 by 2020.
Wages will gradually increase each year beginning with a boost from $9 to $10.50 in July 2016, a move welcomed by many Filipino Los Angelenos.
“I want this soon as possible,” said teacher Lita Cortez.
The caregiving industry sees many workers making average hourly salaries at about the minimum wage.
With this ordinance, Lynn Javier Bandayrel is excited that it would give her some extra money.
“Sana maging totoo so magiging masaya ang mga Pilipino dito. Syempre, iba-banko yan di ba,” said Bandayrel, a caregiver.
Business owners like Lina Tamayo, who owns a restaurant, may be the least excited about the wage. While her workers make around the $9 minimum wage, she’ll spend the next year trying to balance the books.
“For us owners of the restaurant, it’s going to be a big impact. From $9 to $10.50 that’s going to be a big increase in our food,” she said.
For consumers, the gradual pay increase does raise concerns that they will eventually have to absorb the prices.
With this vote, Los Angeles joins San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago as other cities with similar minimum wage laws.
With this vote, the city attorney will now write one more final draft of the ordinance before the council votes on it. The final draft will have to eventually be signed by the mayor.