San Francisco voters approve $15 minimum wage


San Francisco voted Tuesday to push its minimum wage to $15 an hour, the nation's highest.
The city will increase its minimum wage to $12.25 per hour in May 2015 and to $13 per hour in July 2016. After that, it will go up by one dollar every year until reaching $15 per hour in July 2018. A minimum wage of $15 an hour would bring a full-time employee's pay to $31,000 a year.
San Francisco's current minimum wage is $10.74, but the city is rife with economic inequality between its high-paid and low-income residents. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the measure had more than 76 percent support among voters.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footage
Speed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East Wing
Speed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 more
Speed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administration
Speed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leak
Speed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroom
speed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deployment
Speed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June