We, the undersigned residents of Sonoma County, support a $15 an hour countywide minimum wage phased in by July 1, 2020 (rather than Jan 2023 with the State of California). The law will cover nearly all employees who work at least 2 hours a week within the County. According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, 73,000 low-wage workers in the county will receive a wage increase, and when fully phased in, the average earnings of affected workers will increase by $2900 annually.
Workers who will benefit by the law are 33 years old on average, contribute one-half of their family’s annual income and the majority are women, immigrants, and workers of color.