Washington, D.C. — Neera Tanden, President of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, released the following statement today after Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) and California legislators announced an agreement to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2022, or 2023 for businesses with 25 employees or fewer.
A $15 hourly minimum wage will finally mean a living wage for millions of Californians, many of whom must work multiple jobs or shifts just to scrape by and pay the bills. California’s economy is the seventh largest in the world, and an increased minimum wage will go a long way toward ensuring that all Californians can share in the state’s economic growth and prosperity. The state’s new minimum wage will also save billions of dollars by ensuring that low-wage workers do not have to turn to public assistance programs to make ends meet.
I applaud Gov. Jerry Brown for his leadership in reaching this agreement. I also want to recognize California’s labor leaders, who have advocated tirelessly for the state’s millions of low-wage and hourly workers. With this agreement, California has done right by its workers and set an example for the nation to follow.
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