• 31
  • December
    2011

San Francisco minimum wage workers will be celebrating more than just the New Year as Dec. 31, 2011 rolls into Jan. 1, 2012 and the ball drops. For those individuals, it will mean a wage and hour law mandated raise from $9.92 per hour to $10.24 for every hour worked. While the raise only amounts to a 32 cent increase, we have all heard the adage that every penny counts.

Those minimum wage workers in San Francisco will not only be the highest paid minimum wage workers in California but across the entire United States. The federal minimum wage currently rests at $7.25 per hour and California laws mandate at least $8 per hour. The San Francisco increase is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

It is safe to say that most of those workers will not complain about the increase in their weekly paycheck. For one student, it means a little less stress when it comes to paying back some debt. "It'll be nice," he said. "It all adds up. I need a second job to start paying off student loans." The young man is a 27-year-old hardworking graduate from San Francisco State University who holds down a job at a pizzeria.

Some employers unsurprisingly are not in agreement with the prospect of spending the extra cash. Some have even hinted that the raise could force their hand into downsizing. Either way, the requirements are set in stone as of tomorrow morning. Any employer who fails to pay the minimum wage - whatever it is in their respective city - are in violation of the law and should be held liable.

Source: Kansas City Star, "S.F.'s minimum wage will be tops in U.S.," Marc Lifsher, Dec. 28, 2011