Alameda County labor leaders launch campaign for $30 an hour minimum wage
Voters in Alameda County may decide on a proposal later this year that would raise the county's minimum wage to $30 an hour, nearly double the state's current minimum wage.
On Thursday, a group of labor leaders and community organizations are expected to launch what they are calling the "Oakland and Alameda Living Wage for All Campaign." The group plans to file initiatives for the November election.
"Working people today face an affordability crisis that's completely out of control, all while billionaires and massive corporations have been raking in record profits," said Mike Miller, director of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Region 6, which represents members in several western states. "UAW members are excited to be part of this campaign to win a living wage policy that actually centers the needs of workers in Oakland and Alameda County."
Supporters of the increase cited data from the MIT Living Wage calculator that found one person in a two-parent, two-child household in Alameda County must earn more than $40 per hour to cover the cost of living if both parents are working. If one parent is working, the calculator found $55 an hour is needed for a living wage.
If approved, the initiatives would raise the hourly minimum wage in Alameda County to $30 by 2030 for companies with more than 100 employees and more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Meanwhile, small businesses with 25 or fewer workers would be given a full decade to raise their minimum wage to $30 an hour.
As of Jan. 1, 2026, the minimum wage in the state of California is $16.90 an hour. According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, several cities in the county have higher minimum wages, including Alameda ($17.46), Berkeley ($19.18), Emeryville ($19.90), Fremont ($17.75), Hayward ($16.90) and Oakland ($17.34).
California also has higher minimum wages for certain health care workers and a $20 minimum wage for fast food restaurant employees.
