Bay Area city, county consider $30 an hour minimum wage

(The Center Square) – Alameda County and the city of Oakland are considering an increase in their minimum wage to $30 an hour.

A ballot measure in both the county and the city would require Bay Area employers to pay their employees no less than the new rate, advocates told The Center Square. The organization backing the initiative, One Fair Wage, added that at least $30 an hour is required for workers to afford to live in the area.

“Every time there has been a downturn or a serious challenge to the economy, in the end, we raise wages as a stimulus,” said Saru Jayaraman, the president of One Fair Wage. “It’s basically a stimulus in the hands of working people, who spend a much bigger percentage of their income than higher-income people because they have to. It’s survival.”

The initiative would phase in the minimum wage hike in both the city and the county, according to One Fair Wage. Large businesses with more than 100 employees and $1 billion in annual revenue would have until 2030 to raise their minimum wa...