Previously: Study: Three Minimum Wage Salaries Necessary To Meet Expenses In Bay Area
The San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) announced on Wednesday that minimum wage will not increase in 2010. The decision is based on the Consumer Price Index of the Bay Area, an indicator that did not increase in 2009. The City’s minimum wage is $9.79, and is based on the 2003 Minimum Wage Ordinance. California’s Minimum wage is $8, while the federal rate is $7.25 as of this July.
City officials say this is a fair move because worker’s expenses should be the same, and “[small] businesses in difficult financial situations will know their labor costs can remain constant in the coming year,” says Donna Levitt of the SF OLSE. Others argue that with basic transportation and education costs increasing, minimum wage should do the same.
Some minimum wage earners also earn tips (full disclosure: this includes your author), causing some to cry foul on the entire notion of the City’s Minimum Wage Ordinance. Examiner commenter J had this to say: “As a [server] in a [restaurant] this is really discouraging to me… I would agree with [detractors of the ordinance] if along with keeping minimum wage low, we also included mandatory gratuity on checks.”
Questions about the Minimum Wage Ordinance? Click here
