Mayor Edwin M. Lee today issued the following statement on overwhelming voter approval of the November 2014 ballot measure Proposition J, a measure that gradually increases San Francisco’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2018:

“Tonight, San Francisco voters sent a message loudly and clearly to the nation that we can take on the growing gap between rich and poor, we can give a well-deserved raise to our lowest-wage workers, and we can do it in a way that protects jobs and small business.

I grew up washing dishes in my family’s restaurant. I know firsthand that a few dollars more an hour can make a difference in the lives of hardworking families struggling to afford our City. Tonight, I’m very proud that San Francisco came together – business, labor and nonprofit leaders – to pass a consensus measure that will now give our City the highest minimum wage in America. I want to thank and congratulate the many people from neighborhoods and communities across our City who worked to pass Proposition J.”

Based on existing law, the minimum wage in San Francisco will rise to $11.05 per hour, effective January 1, 2015.

The voter-approved ballot measure includes the following wage increases:
May 1, 2015: $12.25 per hour
July 1, 2016: $13 per hour
July 1, 2017: $14 per hour
July 1, 2018: $15 per hour

Employers must pay San Francisco’s higher minimum wage for all covered work performed within the City. However, the measure provides different rates for youth trainees and senior subsidized employment which will be capped at a rate of $12.25 plus an annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustment.