City Councilman Paul Krekorian on Friday called for a plan that boosts the minimum wage of workers at large businesses to $12 per hour by 2017 — less than the $13.25 per hour by the same year supported by Mayor Eric Garcetti.
Krekorian’s wage plan — which would apply to employers with 51 or more workers — would eventually surpass Garcetti’s plan, going up to $13.50 by 2018.
Krekorian’s plan would ultimately boost wages to $15.25 per hour by 2021, after which the wage would go up based on the consumer price index. This is two years slower than another proposal supported by other City Council members who want the wage to reach $15.25 per hour by 2019.
Businesses with 50 or fewer employees, would follow an even slower wage hike schedule under Krekorian’s plan, with the wage reaching $11 in 2017, $13 by 2019 and $15.25 by 2022.
The plan also would entirely exempt certain nonprofits that only use state and federal reimbursements and grants to pay their employees. Teen workers would receive either the state minimum wage or 85 percent of the city wage, whichever is higher. Apprentices and transitional job program employees would get the same arrangement, but only for six months, after which they would get the full city minimum wage.
Krekorian said his proposal “strikes that balance” between addressing the challenges faced by low-wage workers who live in a city that has among the least affordable housing markets, and keeping small businesses afloat.
The plan appeared to be received positively by Garcetti’s office, with mayoral spokesman Jeff Millman saying they are “pleased to see this proposal and look forward to further discussions with the council about raising the minimum wage to alleviate poverty and create broader prosperity in Los Angeles.”
But some of Krekorian’s colleagues pushed back at the plan, with Councilman Mike Bonin saying he is still “dedicated to getting to $15 by 2019.”
“Workers in Los Angeles deserve a fair wage for a day’s work,” he said.
— City News Service