As federal government approve new minimum wage
The federal government has not recently approved a new minimum wage. However, there have been efforts to increase the minimum wage at the federal level and in some states.
In 2021, the Biden administration proposed increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, but the proposal was met with opposition from some lawmakers and was not included in the American Rescue Plan Act, a COVID-19 relief bill signed into law in March 2021.
Some states have taken action to increase their minimum wages, however. As of January 2022, 30 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Some states have also implemented automatic cost-of-living adjustments to their minimum wages.
Here are some recent developments on minimum wage increases at the state and local level:
- California: In 2020, California increased its minimum wage to $14 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees, and to $13 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees. The state has also implemented an automatic cost-of-living adjustment to its minimum wage.
- New York: In 2020, New York increased its minimum wage to $12.50 per hour for employers with 11 or more employees, and to $11.80 per hour for employers with 10 or fewer employees. The state has also implemented an automatic cost-of-living adjustment to its minimum wage.
- Florida: In 2020, Florida increased its minimum wage to $8.65 per hour, and it is scheduled to increase to $10 per hour in 2022.
- Washington, D.C.: In 2020, Washington, D.C. increased its minimum wage to $15 per hour, and it is scheduled to increase to $16.10 per hour in 2022.
It's worth noting that some cities and counties have also implemented their own minimum wage laws, which may be higher than the state or federal minimum wage. For example, Seattle, Washington has a minimum wage of $16.39 per hour, and San Francisco, California has a minimum wage of $16.32 per hour.