Information Alert:
San Francisco Increases Minimum Wage on February 23, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, February 20, 2004 -- Effective Monday, February 23, 2004, the minimum wage for employees who work at least two hours per week in the city of San Francisco will be $8.50 per hour. This new minimum wage is significantly higher than the state minimum wage of $6.75 per hour. Small businesses (less than ten employees) and non-profit organizations will not be covered by the new minimum wage law until January 1, 2005, at which time they will have to pay their employees a minimum wage of $7.75 per hour.

Employees who work in San Francisco who believe that they have not been paid at least the new minimum wage law may file a complaint with the Living Wage/Living Health Division of the Office of Contract Administration of the City of San Francisco . If the Division, after investigating the employeesÕ complaints, determines that a violation has occurred, it may impose a number of penalties on the employer, from a simple warning to awarding payment of wages, reinstatement, and a $50 penalty to each employee who was underpaid for each day the minimum wage law was violated. Additionally, the Division can fine the employer and/or revoke the employerÕs registration certificates and other permits or licenses to do business.

The new minimum wage in San Francisco is different from the "living wage" ordinance passed in San Francisco and other Bay Area cities. The new minimum wage law covers most workers who work at least two hours per week in San Francisco. On the other hand, the San Francisco living wage ordinance only applies to certain workers at the San Francisco International Airport and workers in businesses that receive loans or city government contracts. Other Bay Area cities and counties that have passed "living wage" laws include the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Hayward, Richmond, San Jose, and Santa Cruz, as well as Marin and Santa Cruz Counties. Like the San Francisco living wage ordinance, these city and county living wage laws generally only apply to workers in businesses receiving contracts, loans, or land leases from the city or county government. (For information on Living Wage ordinances around the country, see Living Wage Resource Center.

If you believe that your employer has not paid you the new minimum wage in San Francisco, or has not paid you according to a "living wage" ordinance that covers you, please call the LAS-ELC Unemployment and Wage Claims Project help line at (415) 864-8070.

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