Raise the Wage! 

                       

NBJWJ on the night of our victory passing the Min Wage Ordinance in the Cities of Novato (left) and Sonoma (right)

 

We are currently moving a regional campaign called Raise the Wage! to ensure no worker throughout the Bay Area is making less than $15/hour, a low bar for the high cost of living in this region of the country. San Francisco moved to $15/hr this year and it is already too low for workers in the North Bay! Help us ensure a better standard for workers across the North Bay. Scroll to the bottom to see our Reports and resources. 

 

See where we already raised the wage to $15 in your city and what you need to know: http://northbayjobswithjustice.org/living-wage-calculation.php

 

Help us pass $15/hour for the County of Sonoma to meet the wages of Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Sonoma by March of 2021!

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/raise-the-wage-across-sonoma-county?source=direct_link&
Download a copy of the Sonoma County petition HERE
 

Currently, we are working with the six two city councils to pass our $15 Citywide Minimum Wage Ordinance: 

  1. Petaluma City Council         PASSED! 
  2. Sonoma City Council           PASSED! 
  3. Cotati City Council                 Petition coming soon            Download a copy of the petition HERE
  4. Santa Rosa City Council      PASSED!          
  5. Novato City Council             PASSED! 
  6. Sebastopol City Council        Sign the petition HERE         
 
For all other cities in Marin: 
Sign the online petition for the County of Marin here: 
Download a copy of the Marin County petition HERE
 

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nbjwj for updates!

 

 

What is included in our $15 Citywide Minimum Wage Ordinance?

1) Wage Phase-In Timeline:
 
July 1, 2020 - $15 an hour for large employers (26 or more employees) and $14 an hour for small employers
 
January 1, 2021 - $15 an hour for small employers and Bureau of Labor Standards CPI for San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward applied to all employers (for 2018 the CPI was 3.5%)
  
 
2) Who Is Covered?:
 
All workers employed 2 hours a week inside city limits are covered except for pre-established state exemptions (student learners and certain disabled workers); government workers including federal and state employees; and employees of public higher education and school districts.
 
Workers employed by franchises that are separate business entities but part of a larger integrated business are covered (i.e. fast food outlets such as McDonald’s, Jack in the Box).
 
Collective bargaining opt-out: unionized workers earning less that $15 an hour can choose to forego coverage and bargain for total compensation–including both wages and benefits–above $15 an hour (based on a majority vote of the workers)
 
3) Tip-Credit    
 
An employer may not deduct tips or gratuity from an employee’s base hourly wage and no exemption or lower base wage for servers (prohibited by California Labor Code Section 351)
 
4) Enforcement:
 
No retaliation against a worker filing a complaint, employer retention of payroll records for three years, the right of private action, possible assessment of treble damages and other remedies including business license revocation, injunctive relief, fines, and back pay and reinstatement.    


Our proposed ordinance is similar to the City of Cupertino (2016) and ordinances in 7 cities in Santa Clara County that mandate $15 an hour minimum wage January 1, 2019 and Redwood City (2018) and 4 cities in San Mateo County that mandate $15 an hour by January 1, 2020. 

 

See "Resources" below for a link to our Model Ordinance for ALL North Bay cities.

 

Hit the "Get Involved" button on the top right to join our campaign and hear about upcoming actions to Raise the Wage! 

 

RESOURCES

All North Bay Cities

"The State of Working Sonoma 2018: A Profile of Income and Racial Inequality, Poverty and Low-wage Employment"

Model $15 an hour Citywide Minimum Wage Ordinance for All North Bay Cities

League of CA cities report: Local Minimum Wage Laws & the Challenge of Balancing Interests

UC Berkely Labor Center report: Estimated Impact of a Proposed Minimum Wage Law for the North Bay

Also see our Minimum Wage Resource page for city-specific ordinances and wage theft resources

 

Sonoma County

Sonoma County Minimum Wage Fact Sheet

Sonoma County Minimum Wage Fact Sheet - Spanish Translation

Sonoma County Minimum Wage Q & A

Sonoma County Minimum Wage Q & A - Spanish Translation

 

Marin County

Marin County Minimum Wage Fact Sheet

Marin County Minimum Wage Q & A

 

 

MINIMUM WAGE CAMPAIGN IN THE NEWS:

North Bay Minimum Wage Campaign

Labor Day 2019: The Fight for $15 in the North Bay and Beyond
By Martin J. Bennett
Sonoma County Gazette
September 2019

Día del Trabajo 2019: ¡Suban el Salario Mínimo!
Por Martin J. Bennett
Más allá de Chron
2 de septiembre de 2019

Why Business Should Support $15 Minimum Wage
By Martin J. Bennett
North Bay Biz
August 2019

Minimum Rage: Fight for $15 Moves to Petaluma and Santa Rosa After a Bruising Battle in Sonoma
By Tom Gogola
North Bay Bohemian
June 12, 2019

To Make Housing Affordable, Raise Wages
By Martin J. Bennett
The Press Democrat
March 22, 2019

 

City of Sebastopol Campaign

Will Sebastopol adopt a $15-an-hour minimum wage by 2020?
By E.I. Hillin
North Bay Bohemian
Nov. 20, 2018

 

City of Sonoma Campaign

Let’s Stop Tipping the Wage Scale
By Martin J. Bennett
Sonoma Index Tribune
Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Sonoma Leads on Wages Will Other Cities Follow Suit?
By Jason Walsh
Sonoma Index Tribune
June 13, 2019

Tensions Spill Over as City Council Finalizes Minimum Wage Hike
By Jason Walsh
Sonoma Index Tribune
June 5, 2019

Sonoma City Council Eyes $15 Minimum Wage
By Jason Walsh
Sonoma Index Tribune
February 25, 2019

 

City of Petaluma Campaign

Petaluma Raises Base Wage to $15 an Hour
By Yousef Baig
Petaluma Argus Courier
July 19, 2019

 

City of Novato Campaign

Novato Eyes Fast Track Minimum Wage Hike
By Will Hudson
Marin Independent Journal
July 31, 2019

 

 

Improving our Living Wage Ordinance in Sonoma County

We are currently working with the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to ensure the protection and advancement of the Living Wage Ordinance by increasing the amount of paid sick days. You can read the current Living Wage Ordinance here, and read more about why we believe our County should provide more paid sick days here: 

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors should add paid sick days - By Marty Bennett

 

More Resources: County of Sonoma Living Wage Ordinance

Calculating A Living Wage

Living Wage Documents

Living Wage Fiscal Impact Reports and Legislation

County of Sonoma Living Wage: Endorse and Sign Petition