New Bill Proposes a $25 Federal Minimum Wage

A new bill is making waves since it was introduced on April 28 of this year because it seeks dramatically increase the federal minimum for the first time since 2009. The new bill is named the Living Wage for All act and it would require employers to pay a minimum wage of $25 per hour. The fact that some legislators are even considering a bill that would raise federal minimum wage so drastically from $7.25 an hour to $25 an hour may be of interest to some employers. If the federal minimum wage is increased, employers will have a bigger burden to shoulder- especially in those areas where the current federal minimum wage is in fact the prevailing wage.

L.A. Airport Workers and Hotel Workers Will Be Earning $30 An Hour by July 2028

The City of Los Angeles’ Ordinance requiring a $30 minimum wage for hotel and airport workers is no longer suspended, meaning the ordinance became effective on September 8, 2025. The referendum petition that had kept the new ordinance in suspension has failed due to insufficient signatures in support of the referendum.

California Minimum Wage Increases on July 1, 2025

Employers and employees should be aware that several California cities have recently increased their minimum wage on July 1, 2025. The state’s minimum wage increase applies to all employers regardless of its size and the number of people it employs. The state’s minimum wage is the least amount you may pay an employee for each hour of work. However, a city many set its own minimum wage that is higher than the state’s. In those cases, the higher minimum wage applies if you employ or work in a city with the higher minimum wage.

Los Angeles’ Proposed Minimum Wage Increase for Airport and Workers in Large Hotels (60+ rooms) Remains Suspended

Despite the fact that a referendum filed this past June has put this new proposed minimum wage increase on hold, employers need to be aware of what new potential rules they may have to follow. In addition, employees will need to be aware of what new rights and wages they may be entitled to. This is especially important because the potential increase in minimum wage for airport workers and large hotel workers will be significant. If the new minimum wage ordinances are implemented, workers in large hotels and airport workers in the City of Los Angeles will see their minimum wage increase significantly to $30/hour by 2028.

Ringing in the 2025 New Year with Minimum Wage Increases All Around California

California has increased its minimum wage to $16.50 per hour this year, and nearly all of the cities with even higher minimum wages are in Northern California except for San Diego and West Hollywood. If you work or own a business anywhere in California, you need to be aware that minimum wage has increased across the entire state starting in January of 2025.

California Implements Last Minute Exemptions to the $20 Fast Food Minimum Wage.

After some confusion regarding the new $20 fast food minimum wage law, California created some last minute exemptions to help clarify which restaurants are required to pay the new minimum wage. However, the last minute exemptions are narrowly tailored, and the new minimum wage likely applies to most fast food restaurants in California. On a practical level, these narrow exemptions will likely have little impact on the cost of labor for employers. For example, if workers are doing the same jobs at both an airport McDonald’s and a stand-alone McDonald’s, there is little incentive for the workers to continue to work at the airport for less pay. Clearly, a pay increase will likely occur across all facets of the fast food industry.

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