Workforce Bulletin

Over the past three decades, California voters have reliably approved proposals to increase the statewide minimum wage. Until now.

In November,  by a slim margin of 50.7% to 49.3%, voters surprised many by rejecting Proposition 32, which would have increased minimum wages for most non-exempt employees in the state.

Under Proposition 32, the hourly minimum wage for non-exempt employees working for employers with 26 or more employees would have immediately increased from $16 to $17 for the remainder of 2024, with an additional increase to $18 per hour on January 1, 2025. Those working for employers with 25 or fewer employees would have seen an increase the hourly minimum wage from $16 to $17 on January 1, 2025.

The rejection of Proposition 32 in a state that has historically supported minimum wage increases could signal a shift in the labor landscape. It may reflect concerns about rising costs and fears that families and businesses are being priced out of the Golden State. And the vote could be a bellwether for the nation as California is well known as a trendsetting state, especially on wage-and-hour issues.

As featured in #WorkforceWednesday: This week, we’re focused on California’s array of new and amended laws, including non-competes, employee cannabis usage, minimum wage, and protected time off:

New laws are changing the workplace in California, with looming deadlines for employers to meet. However, what happens in California tends not to stay in California. So, how can employers in California and beyond prepare?

Epstein Becker Green’s David Jacobs and Chelsea Hadaway provide a rundown of some of the new and amended California laws and the preemptive steps ...

Jeffrey H. Ruzal, Senior Counsel in the Labor and Employment practice, in Epstein Becker Green's New York office, was quoted by Law360 in “Battles Over Hospitality Wages May Turn on Technicalities.” (Read the full version - subscription required.)

Following is an excerpt:

Law360, New York (October 08, 2014, 3:08 PM ET) – Sideswiped by a pair of minimum wage hikes in New York City and Los Angeles, hotel and restaurant groups are gearing up for legal fights on both coasts. But the groups face uphill battles and any successes will hinge on challenging technicalities in the city ...

By Aaron Olsen

Minimum wage continues to be a hot button issue.  For instance, in California, the state minimum wage increased from $8.00 to $9.00 per hour on July 1, 2014. The state minimum wage will further increase to $10 per hour on January 1, 2016.  However, this affects more than just hourly employees.  In California, for employees to be classified as exempt under the “executive” exemption, they must, among other things, be paid at least two times the state minimum wage for full-time employment in a fixed, predetermined salary.  Thus, as of July 1, 2014, the minimum weekly salary is ...