Dive Brief:

• Workers in 14 states will see a boost in their paychecks going with laws that went into effect on January 1.
• The largest of the raises will take place in Alaska, California, Massachusetts and Nebraska — each bumping the minimum wage by $1 an hour. New York’s minimum wage will be raised from $8.75 to $9.00 across the board, but fast food workers will receive $10.50 in New York City and $9.75 in other parts of the state.
• In addition to the New Year’s day increases, Washington D.C., Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada have all passed legislation that will raise minimum wage later this year

Dive Insight:

Apart from the incremental raises starting Jan. 1, the "Fight for $15" minimum wage is expected to make further inroads in the New Year, according to the National Employment Law Project (NELP).

NELP reports that there are 16 pending legislative or ballot proposals in 15 jurisdictions that will likely gain traction in 2016. Among them are a legislative campaign led by New York Gov. Cuomo that seeks to make New York the first state with a statewide $15 minimum wage; a minimum wage ballot initiative in California that puts the Golden State in the running to be the first $15 state; and a ballot initiative in Washington, D.C. that proposes to increase the District’s minimum wage to $15 by 2020 and eliminate the subminimum tipped wage by 2025.

According to NELP, economic analysis shows that low-wage workers just about anywhere in the country need at least $15 per hour to meet basic needs, and that low-paying jobs can be manageably transitioned to $15 wages. 

“We’ve seen incredible momentum this past year in the fight to raise wages to a level that will make a meaningful difference to America’s workers and their families,” said Christine Owens, NELP's executive director. “I expect there will be even more energy around the issue of stagnant wages and economic inequality in 2016—and an intense focus on what our elected officials, employers, working people, and voters can and should be doing about it.”