California Raises Minimum Wage to $15 An Hour

California businesses with 26 or more employees will have to pay a minimum wage of $15 an hour starting January 1.

Thanks to a new state law, California businesses with more than 26 employees will have to pay workers at least $15 an hour starting in the new year. California already has the second highest minimum wage in the country, well above the federal minimum of $7.25. 

Democrats in Congress tried to raise the minimum wage to $15 nationally as part of the COVID relief package earlier this year,  but failed. 

The movement is happening at the state level. In 26 states and Washington, D.C., lawmakers decided to bump up the salaries of the lowest paid workers in 2022. But it's not just politicians coming under pressure from workers. It's also companies.