San Francisco, Oakland Voters Approve Minimum Wage Increase; SF Mayor Ed Lee Calls It 'A Good Bump'

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — San Francisco already has the highest minimum wage in the country but voters on Tuesday pushed it even higher. Now, low-wage earners in both San Francisco and Oakland will be getting raises.

With 76 percent of the "yes" vote, San Francisco's Proposition J sailed into victory, raising the current $10.74 an hour to $12.25 next May, $13 in July of 2015 and then a dollar each year until it hits $15 in 2018.

 

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee had pushed hard for Prop J which will raise a minimum wage paycheck of nearly $200 a week to $31,000 a year for a full-time worker.

"It's a little more personal because I've worked those jobs; I know what people feel," Lee said. "I've had a lot of chances to talk to a lot of folks that are working here in San Francisco and they all said they just need a little help to just make it a little easier for us and that minimum wage is a good bump."

This is a faster rate than in Seattle which also recently raised its minimum to $15.

Meanwhile in Oakland, Measure FF passed with 81 percent of the vote raising that city's minimum wage from $9 to $12.25 an hour starting in March. It also guarantees five sick days a year for workers.

More Election Links:
View Results From Bay Area, Statewide.
National Election Results From CBS News
Video: KPIX 5 Election Coverage
County-By-County Election Results
CBS SF Politics Section

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.