While I was off in Europe (where the current debate is over whether to allow some non-permanent workers), the defunded IWC has named a committee to consider a raise in the minimum wage. The Democrats' proposal would link the minimum wage to an inflation index.
For more, see here. The Sac Bee has great coverage of these things.
There appears, in this election year, to be a consensus over raising the minimum wage--it's just a question of how to do it. Nothing inventive--just the usual rhetoric from both sides. I expect this issue to heat up, especially now that some polls have Angelides ahead.
Employers should be aware that this will impact more than what they pay their minimum wage workers. Obviously, it will also implicate those workers' OT rates as well. More significantly, however, every time the minimum wage changes, employers need to review their exempt employees to make sure they remain above the salary test, which is based on the minimum wage. Despite the byzantine mystery of many of the exemption tests, the salary test side is fairly straightforward, and, surprisngly to me anyway, is often a bigger issue than the duties tests.
UPDATE: Is there an echo in here?
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