Hayward on fast track to $15-an-hour minimum wage
The Hayward City Council voted unanimously last week to increase the minimum wage rate for employees working within the City of Hayward and accelerate locally the move to $15 per hour. A second and final Council vote is scheduled Feb. 25.
For larger employers, defined as those with 26 or more workers, the Hayward ordinance would set the minimum wage rate at $15 per hour starting July 1. Thereafter, the rate would be adjusted upward annually each July 1 based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
For small employers, those with 25 or fewer workers, the Hayward minimum wage would move to $14 per hour on July 1. It would adjust annually thereafter based on the CPI until Jan. 1, 2023, when the new State of California $15-per-hour minimum wage for small employers takes effect.
Under the state law, the minimum wage for larger employers in California is $13 and will climb by $1 each year until it reaches $15 per hour on Jan. 1, 2022. Future annual adjustments will be based on changes in the CPI.
Similarly, the state minimum wage rate for small employers is to increase by $1 a year from the current $12 per hour to $15 on Jan. 1, 2023—with annual adjustments based on the CPI thereafter each Jan. 1.
